Know Your Options For Residential Heating
Posted on: 21 November 2022
Do you have the opportunity to select what kind of heating system you will have in your home? You'll definitely want to know more about these popular heating options to pick from.
Hydronic Heat
A hydronic heat system uses a boiler that pumps hot water through water pipes underneath the floor. It creates heat that is incredibly comfortable since it radiates upward from the floor to heat the part of the room that you are occupying. The heat is also evenly distributed, so you do not have hot spots next to vents or cold spots underneath desks.
Know that hydronic heat is also a very energy-efficient way to heat your home. That's due to how hot water does a great job of retaining heat, so the boiler is not constantly running when the heat is turned on. The water is also heated on demand when the heating system needs it, so hot water is not sitting in a reserve tank waiting to be used.
However, hydronic heat can be expensive to install. It uses its own infrastructure that is separate from a cooling system, so if you want air conditioning you'll also need another method. The heat that hydronic heat produces is also dry heat, so you may need to add a humidifier to your home to get some of that moisture back into the air.
Forced Air
A forced air system can be combined with a central air conditioner to use the same air handler and ductwork, which helps cut down on the overall cost of the installation. You also have the ability to incorporate humidity into the air to avoid having dry heat. This helps about two of the downfalls of hydronic heat.
The disadvantages tend to be the opposite of what you see with hydronic heat. Temperature distribution is not always even, and forced air heat costs more money to run. This is due to needing to heat the air when the system is running, which constantly uses an energy source to do so.
Forced air systems also tend to be a bit loud. You'll hear the air flowing through the vents, the furnace running, and the air handler running the fan to push that hot air into the ductwork. This can sometimes be a problem if you are in a small home, but most homes have a utility room where all this equipment is located.
For more information, contact a local heating service.
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