Find Your Path to Comfort and Savings with these Home Heating Options:
- Furnaces & Boilers
Furnace and boiler efficiency has increased tremendously in recent years, with some of the most energy efficient models pulling off 90-95% heating efficiency. Using ductwork to distribute warmed air (furnace) or steam-powered radiators, baseboard heaters, and radiant heating components to distribute warmth (boilers), these options commonly run on fossil fuels such as natural gas, propane, and fuel oil, but producing significantly less pollution than models just 10 years old.
- Air Source Heat Pumps
Grabbing heat from the air outside or inside your home (depending on the season) and distributing it via ductwork to maintain temperature, heat pumps offer both heating and cooling capacity. Rather than converting heat from fuel, an air source heat pump’s ability to simply move heat delivers 1.5 to 3 times more heat energy to your home than the electrical energy consumed, reducing electricity costs by about 50% compared to resistance heating options (furnaces, baseboard heaters). Like all ducted systems, they can warm and cool rooms quickly, but have their drawbacks. Rising heat, poor insulation, and leaks and holes in the home can rob performance and efficiency, as can leaky, poorly located, poorly insulated ducts. Air movement can also create hot/cold zones, stirring up dust and allergens. Look to this system for its multifunctional advantages and economical price tag.
- Geothermal Heat Pump
Instead using air to exchange heat, geothermal systems utilize components buried deep in the earth to harness/exchange thermal energy in the ground or nearby water. Like air source heat pumps, conditioned air is then distributed through the home via ductwork. Consistent ground temperatures offer more reliable heat exchange, with electricity use 25-50% lower than conventional heat pump systems – up to 72% lower than electric resistance heating – making geothermal the cleanest, most energy efficient heating option on the market. Humidity control in these systems is also superior. Compatible with new and retrofit installations, lot size and conditions play a role in installation possibility and cost, which is higher than conventional systems.
- Radiant Floor Heating
In radiant floor heating systems, heat produced by electricity, water, or air is distributed throughout the home via under-floor tubing. In direct contact with floor surfaces, heat is directly transferred up and throughout your home, infusing you and the objects in your home with warmth. Eliminating heat loss to provide far more efficiency than forced-air options, radiant floor heating provides a quiet, consistent, allergy-friendly heating solution. They aren’t without drawbacks, however. The flipside of this consistent warmth comes in the form of longer times to reach optimal temperature. Installation cost is also higher than forced air systems – even more so in retrofits – however they can save considerable money over the long term in higher efficiency.
This blog was originally posted at https://www.delcohvac.com/different-types-of-home-heating-units-for-your-home/
