If you live in Parker, CO, you understand the importance of having the best heating system possible to get you through Colorado’s notorious winters. Whether you are building a new home, renovating an existing one, or just shopping for an innovative way to heat your house, you probably want to find an efficient, effective heating system. Generally, you can think of systems for home heat as falling into one of three categories: central heat, direct heat, and modern heat. Here are some of the more common heating systems available.
Central Heat: Furnace
A furnace heats your home by warming air and blowing it into every room of your home through ductwork. Typically, furnaces are either electric, gas, or fuel oil operated. In North America, furnaces are by far the most common way to heat a house.
Central Heat: Boiler
If you heat your house using a boiler, you use hot water to increase your home’s temperature. Instead of blowing hot air like a furnace, a boiler pumps heated water through pipes into radiators. The radiators get hot, transferring warmth into cold air.
Central Heat: Heat Pump
Those who opt for a heat pump generally do so because they can use it to warm their home in the summer and cool it in the winter. Using electrical currents, heat pumps pull warm air from the outside or the ground and pump it into your home. In Colorado, heat pumps are the least common type of heating system.
Direct Heat: Fireplace
Unlike furnaces, boilers, or heat pumps, fireplaces are a form of direct heat, because they warm air directly around them. Depending on your preferences, you might have a fireplace that burns gas, wood, or pellets.
Direct Heat: Space Heater
To heat a specific area, you might use a space heater. These portable units are individually rated based on how large a room they can heat. Generally, though, space heaters are not a good strategy for heating an entire home.
Modern Heat: Radiant Floor
With technological advancements, heating systems have changed. One modern system involves placing hoses and tubes in the floor. When you circulate hot water through these, the floor warms. Then, through transference, heat moves from the floor to the air.
Modern Heat: Ductless System
In some homes, ductless systems provide warmth. Instead of relying on ducts to move air or hoses to move water, these systems use small refrigeration lines to cool the house.
If you are considering installing a new heating system, you might consider each of these available options. By talking to a professional heating technician, you can decide which one is right for you.
