Choosing the Right Home Heating System
Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Home Cozy
How you heat your home has a big impact on your comfort. Your home heating system can also make a big difference in what you spend each month to keep your family comfortable. If you’re replacing your old heating equipment, it’s usually more cost-effective to upgrade to a more efficient version of what you already have.
Replacing a system of vents and ducts with a system of pipes and radiators (or vice versa) is a complicated and expensive undertaking. But if you’re shopping for a new home or building from scratch, you have a lot of options: boilers, furnaces, and even heat pumps.
Equipment Options
Different types of home heating systems distribute heat differently. Here’s what you need to know.
- Forced hot water boilers: Heat water to between 170 and 200 degrees and provide steady heat through pipes throughout the house. Baseboard units then disperse the heat into living spaces.
- Steam boilers: Create steam and send it to radiators as vapor. When the vapor cools, it returns to the boiler to be reheated. Water levels must be monitored, or the system won’t deliver heat.
- Furnaces: Use a heat exchanger to warm air, which is then blown through ductwork. Registers in floors or ceilings release warm air into rooms, while return grilles send cooled air back to the system.
- Electric heat pumps: Popular because they don’t require ductwork and can provide both heating and cooling. They move existing heat using an outdoor compressor and an indoor air handler. However, in frigid winters, heat pumps must work harder to extract heat, which can significantly increase electricity costs.
Fuel Choices
Other than heat pumps, most home heating systems can run on heating oil, propane, natural gas, or electricity. However, except for propane and natural gas, you typically can’t switch fuels without replacing equipment.
With our cold, raw weather, many homes choose heating oil or propane for reliable and efficient warmth. Today’s ultra-low sulfur heating oil burns much more cleanly than in the past, with significantly reduced particulate emissions. Its higher Btu output per gallon also means you may use less fuel overall, which can help offset per-gallon price differences.
Many homeowners appreciate propane’s versatility. It can power a wide range of appliances, including stoves, water heaters, fireplaces, and standby generators. Propane is environmentally friendly, provides dependable energy during power outages, and can be a cost-effective alternative to natural gas when gas lines aren’t available.
The Bottom Line
Winters in our area can range from mild to bitter cold. Between coastal nor’easters and classic Northeast blizzards, homes must be prepared for deep freezes. The size of your home and the quality of its insulation also play important roles in choosing the right system.
Today’s high-efficiency boilers and furnaces outperform older models, delivering better comfort while using less fuel. Let the pros at Casey assess your needs and answer your questions so you can find the best heating system for your home. Contact us today for more information.