Heating and cooling are essential parts of keeping your home comfortable throughout the year. They type of heating system you choose can make a difference in how warm your house is all winter long and how efficient the system will be. Here are some things to consider when picking a heating system for your home. 

Hot Air Heating

Hot air furnaces are commonly used in homes that have HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems with air conditioning and heat in the same unit. The warm air is pushed to the rooms in the home through sheet-metal ductwork and into the room through a grill that has a filter on it. The system also has a return on it that allows the furnace to draw the air from the heater back in. 

The hot air systems are used in the southern part of the country where both heat and air conditioning are important. The downside is that they generate a lot of dust and the moving air can spread the dust around the house. Dusting more often is essential with these systems, but they do an excellent job of keeping the home warm. 

Forced Hot Water

Forced hot water heating is a modern variation of the old steam radiators that were used for many years. The system uses a boiler to heat water in a closed loop and circulates it through baseboard heaters, allowing the heat to radiate off the pipe and into the room. The systems work well, and the boiler can also provide hot water, eliminating the need for a water heater in the home. 

Popular in the colder northern states, these systems do an excellent job of warming the home to a comfortable temperature and keeping it warm with minimal effort. You will also save money with a hot water system because of the efficiency of the system. The water is hot almost instantly, and you do not need to keep heating it over and over as you would with a water heater.

Radiant Heat

Radiant heat is a variation on the hot water systems and typically uses the same kind of boiler. The difference is, the pipes that carry the hot water are placed under the floor of the home, so they warm the floor as well as the room. The result is a very comfortable temperature and no more walking on a cold floor in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning. For tile floors, the tubes can be put into the thin set or cement floor under the tile.   

For more information, contact an HVAC contractor that specializes in heating installation. 

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