Choosing the best heating system for your home is a crucial investment in comfort and energy efficiency. Consider your long-term plans and budget as you weigh the options. Residential furnaces use natural gas, propane, fuel oil, or electricity to heat and distribute air throughout your home through ductwork. They are rated by AFUE numbers, with high AFUE ratings indicating high efficiency.
Gas or Oil Furnace
One of the most traditional choices for heating systems is gas and oil furnaces, which heat air with a burner and distribute it throughout the home through ductwork and a fan. A gas furnace burns natural gas for fuel, typically offering a better cost and efficiency rating than electricity or oil. Oil furnaces burn fuel oil stored in a tank on and around the property, unlike natural gas, which can be explosive and cause carbon monoxide deaths if a system malfunctions, heating oil systems usually give clear warning signs of an issue such as smoke or odors. Both of these furnace types have many benefits. Arvada Heating Repair from Go Green can provide energy savings of up to 50 percent, which benefits your wallet and aligns with the growing global focus on energy conservation.
Boiler
A boiler uses gas, oil, biomass, or electricity to heat water or produce steam to warm air dispersed throughout a building. It is also a standard part of central heating systems. Many homeowners now opt for combi boilers, which provide hot water and heating in a single appliance. They are quieter than furnaces because they don’t use ductwork to blow heated air throughout the house. They do not create as much dust and dander, which benefits families with allergies. A boiler system consists of a thermal tank, piping, and radiator units, which are connected by a pump and controlled by a programmer to distribute heat throughout the home. They are also more efficient than furnaces and use less electricity. They are not as flexible, though, as they can only generate hot water or heat and do not cool the home.
Gravity Air Furnace
The gravity furnace is a classic house heating system that uses natural convection currents and the simple fact that warm air rises. Often known as an octopus furnace because of their large ducts, they’re commonly found in homes from the 1900s.
A gravity furnace loses about half of its heat up the chimney because these antiquated and inefficient systems are roughly twice as expensive to run as forced air furnaces nowadays. In contrast, newer models are up to 95% efficient. If you have a gravity furnace, hiring a professional to remove it and replace the ductwork is best. The ducts are likely filled with asbestos, and it’s not a job you should try to do on your own for safety reasons.
Heat Pump
A heat pump combines heating and air conditioning functions into one device. It grabs the heat of the air with a refrigerant and pumps it indoors during summer to cool your home, and then reverses this process during winter to warm up the space. It does this all with electricity, which is more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels. It is also one of the most energy-efficient ways to use electricity to heat your home. Good quality heat pumps can achieve a COP (Coefficient of Performance) of four or more, which is better than many traditional furnaces. Designed for cold climates, modern heat pumps work well at very low temperatures. Some models have an electric resistance backup system, sometimes built into the unit, to help you make it through short cold snaps.
Electric Resistance Furnace
The electric resistance furnace is a simple backup system that runs on electricity and can be used in areas with few heating days. These heaters are typically paired with heat pumps to cut energy costs. An electric furnace contains three to six heating elements made of metal wires that get heated when electricity flows through them. The heating elements are connected to a blower, pushing hot air into your building’s ductwork and out vents.
An electric resistance system uses a thermostat to sense the temperature and regulate how much power the heating element supplies. It also has a limit switch and an air filter to protect the system. These systems are 100% efficient, unlike gas furnaces that lose much of their heat to the flue.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.