When you have a 106yo house having an original coal chimney that resembles the leaning tower of Pisa, a couple of bedrooms that also double as larders (heating vents were apparently for sissies back in 1906) & a gas furnace that was installed during the Eisenhower administration are just part of the cachet of home ownership. Needless to say, when you have to cough up thousands of dollars to keep from turning into peoplesicles it's nice to know where to go. Ironically, really expensive expenditures like heating systems & renovations are rarely, if ever, reviewed on the interwebs so we turned to our rockstar real estate agents who have been really excellent in steering us to right sources for our money pit's needs. Sadly this was their one lemon & it was as bitterly sour as a bitter melon vinaigrette. So where to start? We contracted Portland Heating Inc to remove our unstable coal chimney, install a new gas heater & HVAC system including adding heating vents to the bedrooms (hey, I'm all for togetherness but huddling for warmth, not so much). They came in ~15-20% over budget (usually you budget ~10% for contingencies, say like finding an extended family of voles in your walls or rampant dry rot, neither of which was the problem here) & were 2 weeks behind schedule. This ended up really screwing over the flooring guys who were basically saints. In fact, they were so behind schedule that they were still working on the day that the movers were moving us in which is pretty sad since they had a little over a month to get the job done. Not only did they get sooty footprints on the RAW wood floors that the flooring guys had sanded despite multiple signs as well as phones messages left for them NOT to walk into the kitchen but Chris, the assistant who thankfully is probably insulting people back in his home state of Alaska as I type, was not only rude but refused to give an estimate of how much longer he would be working on the day that the movers were moving us in. This is not an isolated incident nor was it unknown to the owner, Paul Cessaro, as apparently Chris had told another client that he couldn't believe she was proud to have bought her house as the neighborhood wasn't that nice--Paul shared this little gem with us when I pretty clearly stated that I never wanted Chris inside my house again because he was so rude. In terms of competency, I can only say that they didn't completely wrap the new duct work which they said they would do & ended up costing us $80 to have someone else do. Two different energy efficiency analysis firms told us that the pressure in the heating system that Portland Heating installed was too low. They made the duct work in the old coal chimney space so oversized (we were told by multiple contractors that it didn't need to fill the space) that 6 different contractors looked at the hole they left extending from the basement to the attic in our house & either "forgot" to give us an estimate or gave us a ridiculously high estimate hoping that we'd pick someone else or give up. So if you know a pedophile who poisoned your dog while mugging your granny who needs HVAC work, by all means send them to Portland Heating. Otherwise put the yellow pages heating section on the wall & start throwing darts. You couldn't do worse than we did. read more

We've been using PDX heating for 17 years. Paul installed the original furnace and water heater in the home we bought, then has helped us over the years to maintain them. He also added on central air later. He has been professional, fair, and a joy to work with. We have had Paul, and now Chris, help us at our new home to install a gas line and our washer/dryer, and fix a furnace problem. We recommend them to all of our friends, without hesitation. Can't speak highly enough of them!! read more

STAY AWAY FROM THIS SNAKE! The owner, Paul Cessaro, has more excuses than solutions. We hired Portland Heating originally in 2004 to install a new furnace and hot water heater in the home we had just bought. In 2012 the hot water heater broke for the second time. We called Paul who said he could make it the next day. He didn't get to our place until late the next day which was too late to order the part he needed. We paid the extra to have the part shipped next day air since not having hot water is a pretty big issue as you can probably imagine. When the part arrived it didn't fix the problem and Paul concluded the part to be defective. He said he was reordering the part and also suggested a new igniter that was okay but was only $45 and might need to be replaced in a couple years anyway. We grew tired of heating water in the tea kettle for sponge baths and hair washes after a few days and checked into a hotel. Finally 5 days after originally contacting him the water heater was fixed. Then we get the invoice and even he admitted it would have been more cost effective to replace the water heater (and much faster too plus we would not have had a hotel bill). We paid his invoice immediately but asked if he would contact the supplier of the defective part to credit us for the $75 next day shipping since in reality we did not get next day service due to the defective part. We he contacted us a few days later I thought it would be about a refund of the next day air shipping charges. Instead it was to revise his invoice because the "$45" part was actually $150 and he wanted the balance. He claimed the supply warehouse quoted him the wrong price and he was closing his account of 30 some years because he was so upset with them over it. I was not happy about that since it was a part that allegedly wasn't even the problem. I asked if he contacted his other supplier about crediting the shipping and he said they didn't charge for the replacement shipping. When I told him we still should not have to pay for next day shipping since we didn't get that he started into the whole story about how things are different now and nobody stocks anything .... blah blah blah. He asked me if I was going to pay the balance and seeing that he was not helping with the shipping cost I told him we would square it up once he took care of the shipping. Hearing nothing from him for over a week I was very surprised to get a call from a collection agency. When I tried to contact him about it several times he would not return my calls or emails. read more

A few years ago I had Sunset Fuel over to service my furnace and A/C. They blew the dust out of the furnace and wouldn't even look at the A/C unit but said both units needed to be replaced. They even sent over a salesman to present me with options (though no followup). The next spring I had Portland Heating out to service the furnace and A/C. That service was quick, clean and most of all, informative. They said I have lots of years left in the furnace and at least should be able to get another 10 years out of the air conditioning unit. There was no pressure to up sell and Paul even showed me how I could secure my water heater in the garage. I have complete confidence in Portland Heating Inc. and will have them over for service again this spring. read more

Paul is great! He is good at communicating with the customer and fixed my furnace and heat pump at a reasonable cost. I would recommend him to any friend or neighbor. read more

Portland Heating Inc. has done several jobs for us on our house over the years. Years ago, our hot water heater died. I contacted Portland Heating Inc.. Mr. Paul Cessaro arrived right away as scheduled over the phone and took a look at it. He was very professional and explained our options of repairing or replacing. In our case, repairs would have cost almost as much as replacing it and Paul explained that it was a very old hot water heater and he would recommend replacing it. I knew he was correct about the age of the water heater and asked if Paul could also brace the new install to withstand a minor earthquake. He explained our options and how, in our case because of the location, the most sound method for the new installation. He never did a sales push or tried to urge us to pick one of the more expensive options. He delineated the options and gave us estimates that he promised that he would stick by. Portland Heating Inc. was gone for about an hour and returned with a new waterheater that was just what we had requested. I stayed nearby during the installation and can attest to his non-stop work ethic. As soon as the old water heater was drained and disconnected, Paul was working like a demon getting the new water heater in place and reconnected. He had our hot water up and running in no time and wowee, was it nice to have hot water again so quickly. The most impressive part of the work that he did for us was the bracing. Even with a very difficult location, Paul took the time to mount a bracing system right to the wall studs that is really solid. We had read how often, during minor earthquakes, when little damage was sustained by the house, that water heaters fall over. When that happens, the gas line can be torn as well as the water line and can result in significant water damage and/or explosion and fire. We have joked about the house being torn in half by an earthquake but the water heater would still be standing firm. Portland Heating Inc. got the job done for us when they promised and came in right on budget. No surprise costs for parts or labor. I've recommended his work to many of my friends and family as well as our neighbors in the cul de sac. They have all been pleased with the quality of his work and thanked me for the reference. Paul will not use cheap parts and his work is up to and exceeding building code. We recommend him most highly. read more

I don't understand the poor ratings shown below. We think Paul is the real deal. He's courteous, works clean and knows what he's doing. We've had furnace servicemen come who almost immediately say "you need a new furnace." Obviously, all they want to do is make money. Paul says most of the parts on your furnace are replaceable, so if you maintain it, it should last you a long time. He came on Saturday and when he discovered what was wrong, he jumped in his truck to go get a part before the store closed at noon. We are a shoes-off house--he and his assistant carry booties with them that they put on over their shoes, so the house stays clean. We've had service people who act as if they're doing you a favor to take off/cover their shoes. Paul and his assistant didn't leave a mess and for 3 hours plus parts I thought the price was very reasonable. Don't believe the bad reviews. read more

I don't know what this other reviewer's problem was, but the lengthy, almost neurotic hyper-negativity is far off from my experiences and the experiences of others I know who have used Portland Heating (and Air conditioning). I have found Paul pleasant to work with, informative and able to solve problems properly in simple and cost effective ways. My son has used his services as well. Where others said,"You need a new furnace," Paul said "I can fix this one," and he did. I have found him to be prompt in returning calls and timely in arriving at the job. I would definitely recommend him. read more

Portland Heating and Paul Cessaro, best to stay away, the reviews on here are accurate: a snake, misguided, he will mislead you and charge you way more than he would ever admit. Slow, never shows up on time, led me on a wild goose chase for four months having every excuse in the book. If you want a job done in short order avoid this guy, he charges reasonable hourly rate but will take four times longer and four months longer to get the job done, you have been warned. He has a slick sales pitch and sounds like one of the guys and wants to help you out, but like a narcissistic psychopath he will back stab you. read more

Portland Heating has done many jobs for me over the years. The first job was a hot water heater replacement. One day I noticed a leak in the garage and called Paul. He came over in a jiff and did some fact finding. He recommended a slightly larger water heater because I told him that I often ran out of hot water and had to be careful when the shower and washing machine or dishwasher were running. What a great piece of advise that was. I have never have run out of hot water since. Portland Heating Inc. was right on budget for the work and our gas bills went down because the new water heater was so well insulated. The very next winter, my forced air heater went out. It was a very cold spell so we called Portland Heating Inc. and they were able to come look at it that same day. Paul found a small crack in the unit that was actually a carbon monoxide hazard. We got a big fire going in the fireplace and Paul went over our choices for a gas heater and we decided on a high efficiency one that Paul recommended. We had previously told Paul about a peculiar smell that had been permeating our home but we were never able to find it. But during the installation of the new furnace Paul found out where the smell had been coming from. When he pulled out the old heater, Paul found that the previous installer had just let the AC condensate line drip into a base pan. The base pan had no outlet and just rusted until a small mouse had gotten in and had never gotten out. The furnace condensate line ran under the house to a vent that led outside. Often during very cold weather the condensate would freeze and the heater would stop working. To fix this Paul connected the two and ran a new condensate line that dumps harmlessly into our drain system for the washing machine. Paul then installed the new furnace along with a newer, easier to read and use thermostat. It's been humming along flawlessly ever since. The project came in on budget and it was so nice to have warmth in our home again minus the strange smell. The new furnace has saved a lot of money on our gas bill and we are so happy with it. To also cut down on our gas bill Paul recommended we put in an attic fan. After the job was done, the house cooled much more quickly and we noticed that the air conditioner didn't have to run so long each time it turned on. We were so used to the old system that we actually got chilly because we would set the thermostat too low. The new system was very quiet and came in on budget. We recommend Portland Heating. Paul does quality work and we're looking at having him install a gas fireplace in the future. Owning a home and keeping it up can be very costly. I feel so lucky to have found Portland Heating. If anything goes wrong I know I can count on Paul to fix it correctly and give me a fair price. Its so rare these days to find a business person you can trust that will do an excellent job at a fair price. A few years ago my neighbor was told that he needed a new furnace. I told him to let Paul take a look. Paul made a few inexpensive repairs and my neighbor's furnace has been running well ever since. = ) read more

We have been a customer of Portland Heating since 1988. In those 25 years, Portland Heating installed a furnace, air conditioner, water heater, and most recently, a heat pump, as well as performed regular service and repair. In all that time we have always been treated fairly and with respect. The quality of the work has always been excellent, and when a problem arose, such as a defective thermostat, Portland Heating took care of it quickly and without charge. We enthusiastically recommend Portland Heating to our friends. read more

I had a very positive experience with Portland Heating. My heater refused to work during a particularly cold Thanksgiving weekend. I originally called another company and their technician would not be able to fix the problem until the middle of the next week. The price also seemed quite inflated. I asked if warranty would cover it, and they said no. I called Paul at Portland Heating and he said that the other technician misdiagnosed the problem. He was apparently correct, because his remedy fixed the heater. Not only that, but it was nearly all covered by warranty and the problem was promptly fixed, ending my freezing home misery. I am so glad that I trusted my instinct and called Portland Heating! read more