Which Heating System is Most Efficient for My Home?

Reduced to its most fundamental level, a heating system has three component parts:

• The heating plant your furnace, boiler, or heat pump
• The distribution system your ducts or pipes
• The control system namely, your thermostat

Two types of heating systems we often recommend when only new will do are:

Gas Furnaces & Boilers

Gas furnace technology has progressed by leaps and bounds during the past decade. Heating efficiencies have jumped from about 65% to as high as 95%.

Gas furnaces are also called forced air heating systems, where the air is heated and then supplied through your ductwork or baseboard units. If your home is equipped with radiators, then you'll want a gas boiler which heats water instead of air.

Plus, with a gas boiler, you can eliminate one home comfort appliance with a combined gas boiler and water heater system.

Electric Heat Pumps

An electric heat pump produces 2-3x more heat per kWh than an electric furnace.

There are two main types of heat pump: air-to-air, and ground source (also known as geothermal). Air-to-air heat pumps work fine in warmer climates, but once the outside temperature falls below 35.5 degrees Fahrenheit, they rapidly lose efficiency. In colder climates, geothermal systems work better since heat is extracted from deep within the ground where the temperature remains constant all year long.

Air-to-air or geothermal, you can heat and cool your home with a heat pump system. That's right: central air and central heat, all within a single, highly efficient system.

So...Is a new heating system in your family's future? Then allow the experts at Fred's Home Services to recommend what's best for you.