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The home heating market is flooded with various types, making selecting your next installation very difficult. When choosing the most efficient and reliable heating system for your home, you should consider among the following types of heating systems:
Types of Home Heating Systems to consider:
- Central Heating System (Ducted System)
- Ductless Heating System
Central Home Heating System
It provides warmth to the whole house or for multiple rooms. The heat generation occurs through a central source, accessible but in a secluded area like the attic or basement. The heat generated is spread through ducts or pipes, depending on the type of the central heating system. Ducted systems occupy a larger space than other heating systems. When choosing the central heating system, you will consider among these three types: furnaces, boilers, and heat pumps.
Central Heating Through Furnaces
It can use electricity, gas, or fuel to heat air in a particular place and then distribute throughout the entire house through ducts and vents. The combusted gas will be taken out of the house through the vents. Furnaces are well known for their long life span, low operating noise, and indoor air quality. You can choose your furnace to be a gas, electric, modulating, or oil furnace. The gas furnace is the most common for residential users and is cost-effective because it uses gas as a fuel source. The electric furnace is inexpensive and smaller compared to the other furnaces. It uses electric heating elements like metal to provide heat circulated in the air around the house. Modulating furnaces cost the most among the other furnaces. A modulating furnace allows you to adjust the quantity of the gas it burns to reach the target temperature and even to pinpoint the exact temperature you desire. Lastly, oil furnaces need oil to heat the air, and it is expensive because of the usage of fat as fuel.
Central Heating Through Boilers
Unlike furnaces, boilers’ system distributes heat in hot water that loses heat as it goes through the radiators installed in your house. Boilers use pumps to circulate water instead of ducts. The cool water will be reheated in the boiler, and the process proceeds. For residential users, boilers are mostly powered by gas. The heat produced by a boiler is distributed uniformly all over the house.
Central Heating Through Heat Pumps
A heat pump is a two-way conditioner that is fully reversible. It keeps your home cool during summers and warm during winters using an electric system. It is energy efficient because it uses electricity instead of generating it. Ground source heat pumps and air heat pumps are the two commonly used heat pumps. Ground source heat pumps draw heat from the ground and spread it all around the house. It is suitable for regions with a constant temperature throughout the year. A ground source heat pump is costly. Air heat pumps use air from the environment to keep your home warm during winter, while it rejects the climate during summer to keep your house cool. They are cheaper than ground source heat pumps.
Ductless heating system
It can also be known as a ductless heat pump. It does not need a web of ducts and vents to make your house warm. It is easy to install and cheaper, unlike the central heating system. However, you will need a separate system for each room. Ductless heating systems are mini-split heat pumps, window AC with heat, portable standing air conditioners with heat.
Mini-split Heat Pumps
A mini-split provides superior comfort, low energy costs, and zero emissions. They are ductless heating systems and don’t need a duct to operate. It can efficiently reverse the direction of the refrigerant flow to provide heating or cooling; thus, you can save money on energy costs and any additional equipment.
Window ACs with Heat
Go for window ACs with heat if you wish to stay comfortable all year while still cutting energy costs. They are easy to install and change air conditioning mode in summers and winters.
Portable Standing Air Conditioner with Heat
A portable standing air conditioner can be the best pick for you if you do not like window ACs with heat. For instance, the installation of a Mitsubishi ductless air conditioner is the easiest and least expensive amongst other ductless heating systems. Portable standing air conditioners have wheels at the bottom, making it is easy to move the heater around.
All in all, the kind of system you want will depend on your needs. Always consider a heating system that is safe, efficient, reliable, easy to handle, and also cost-effective. If you wish to main the temperature of your whole house and the cost is not a problem for you, then a central heating system will be the best choice. But if you are searching for a cheaper alternative and want to control heating in a specific room, go for ductless heating systems.