Everyone wants their home to be comfortable and welcoming. You can decorate your house however you want, but your home’s temperature is often what dictates whether you are comfortable or not. Being too hot or too cold makes a space less pleasant to be in, and that is not suitable for your home, which should be your perfect haven. Cooling down your home is slightly easier than heating it as fans, air conditioning, or a warm shower powered by a propane water heater, usually do the job reasonably well. Heating your home is a little trickier and how easy it is to change your home heating system depends on what kind your house already has. Many people only think about their home heating system so long as it works, but you can choose a different home heating system if your current one dies or is not satisfactory. However, you will not be choosing between two different boiler systems as there are more options for home heating systems than you may realize. The best system for your home depends on a few factors that are further explained below.
Different Types Of Heating Systems
There are three main types of home heating systems: Systems that use ducts, systems that do not use ducts, and direct heating solutions. There are more options within each type of heating system, but the overarching three categories remain. Each type of heating system has different pros and cons along with specific use cases. Some heating systems are mainly restricted by price as some installations are a serious undertaking. The best system for your home will depend on your needs, wants, budget, and location. You will also need to consider how compatible your house is with a new system, how trustworthy the labor and installation will be, and other logistics before ordering a new home heating system.
Central Heating With Ducts
Within heating systems that use ducts, there are three options: furnaces, boilers, and heat pumps. Furnaces and boilers are the most common of the three options, but all three use a duct system in your home’s walls to heat the whole house. If your house already has ducts, you can swap out your furnace or boiler. However, if your home does not already have ducts, you will have to install them if you want to use a duct-based heating system. This is where budget matters because adding a new heater is one thing, but adding a duct system is a lot of work that will take time and money to complete.
There are a few different types of furnaces, including gas, oil, electric, and modulating. Out of the options, gas and electric are the most popular, modulating being the most efficient and most costly. Oil furnaces are almost exclusively used in cold climates where the climate dictates the furnace, but they are not cost-effective because they use oil as fuel. Modulating furnaces use gas as fuel, but they turn off once they reach a set temperature to save resources and turn back on when the temperature drops.
Boilers are special water heaters that heat the house by heating water as it circulates with a pump. Boilers are not the fastest heaters, but they are generally easier to install and control than furnaces. Furnaces push the heat throughout your whole house, but you should get them professionally serviced once a year to prevent issues.
Heat pumps are not a new technology, but they are less common. There are two types of heat pumps, air pumps, and ground pumps. Air pumps use the environmental air to keep your house warm and reject hot hair to keep your house cool in summer. Air pumps are installed like any other central air conditioner and are less expensive than the other pump option, ground source pumps. Ground source heat pumps draw geothermal heat out of the ground and push it into your home. Ground pumps suit moderate climates and cost a pretty penny to install, but they are an interesting option.
Ductless Heating Systems
Ductless heating systems tend to be stand-alone units that are wall or window mounted. Split pumps offer both heating and cooling and are popular for small apartments; otherwise, you would need multiple split pumps to cover an entire house. Window AC units are nothing new, but some window units also come with heat. Window units with heat are installed the same way, but you may need a bigger or smaller unit depending on the room or house size. Smaller portable heaters are ideal if you want to move the heater around or take it to a different house. The smaller the heater, the less heat it will generate, so consider how big a space you want to warm when selecting a free-standing heater.
Direct Heating Systems
Direct heating systems is the umbrella that covers personal space heaters and fireplaces. Direct heat doesn’t push air or use water; the only job is to create heat. Most people use little personal space heaters under their desks in winter to keep their legs warm or by the couch while watching tv. The vast majority of space heaters, whether electric or gas, are fine, but you should avoid unvented gas heaters because they are considered unsafe by professionals, and some states have banned them for safety concerns.
Choosing the right heating system for your home depends on many factors. Consider your wants, current house status, budget, and location to pick the best heating system style. There are plenty of options to choose from, but the choice always comes down to the unique situation. Use this information to make the best choice for your situation to make your home the comfy haven it should be.
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