How to Find the Most Efficient Heating System

In the average Concord, NC home, HVAC use accounts for over 40% of the heating bill. If you’re currently searching for a new heating system, finding one that provides optimum levels of safety and comfort while using the least amount of energy is best. Following are a few important things to keep in mind as you make your selection.

Installing a High-Efficiency Heater Will Provide a Wealth of Benefits

Choosing a heater that’s properly rated and properly sized for your home is the first step towards lowering your carbon footprint and curbing your home energy bills. While many homeowners shop for new heaters based upon price alone, opting for an ultra-modern, high-efficiency set-up is usually the most cost-effective choice. A high-efficiency heating system will offer superior performance, have fewer breakdowns, and last a lot longer than less-efficient, harder-working models. They can also be a lot quieter than many lower-priced designs.

The Most Common Heater Types

The most common options in heaters among North Carolina households are:

• Gas-fired furnaces
• Oil furnaces
• Electric furnaces
• Boilers

Gas-powered furnaces use natural gas and can be quite efficient as long as they’re relatively new and kept in good shape. They might be a great option for your household if your home is set up to access natural gas. However, older gas furnaces are both inefficient and prone to malfunctioning. If older gas furnaces are extremely ill-maintained, they can also be dangerous to use.

Oil furnaces provide the greatest amount of warmth. These heating systems rely on oil supplies that are kept in outdoor or underground storage tanks. In the interest of protecting the natural environment, many heating oil delivery services now offer zero-emissions heating oil and eco-friendly blends of low-emissions heating oil.

Electric furnaces don’t produce any emissions directly. They are the most environmentally friendly choice among all furnace types. They can heat homes reliably all throughout, and unlike gas furnaces, they don’t require regular refills of heating oil. The major drawback of having an electric furnace is the fact that the costs of electricity are generally high. If you want to limit your spending on home heating throughout the winter, an electric furnace is hardly the best choice.

How a Boiler Works

Boilers can be significantly more efficient than electric, gas, or oil-powered furnaces. These units heat water up to produce steam that’s then used to warm up the interior space. This steam heat is transferred throughout the building via radiators and pipes. Boilers are often powered by several fuel sources such as electricity and gas. Together, these fuels keep a boiler’s pump powered up. Boilers are both highly durable and highly efficient. As such, they’re also a very popular choice.

Heat Pumps and Why Homeowners Choose Them

One very important consideration to make when choosing a home heating system is how your property is set up. This is especially true for those who do not build their own homes. Furnaces typically require ductwork for the distribution of warm air. Boilers rely on radiators and pipes. If these features don’t already exist at the time of heater installation, the costs of putting them in post-construction could prove incredibly high.

Heat pumps are an excellent choice for homes with multi-split air conditioners. Heat pumps can be incorporated into these systems to deliver warm air in the winter months and in the same zoned and highly efficient fashion. With a multi-split heat pump, you can selectively heat up rooms that are occupied throughout the building rather than warming up areas that are empty. There are air source heat pumps that draw air from outdoors and geothermal heat pumps that take advantage of heat that’s naturally stored in the earth. These last options are incredibly efficient, and they’re consistently ranked among the most environmentally friendly heating systems offered. In fact, they may be the most energy-efficient heating products available.

Important Considerations When Choosing a Home Heating System

In addition to being properly sized for your home, your new heater should also be perfectly in line with the layout of the building, your access to the required fuel sources, and your budget. Although cost certainly isn’t the sole consideration to make, it is vital to account for. Paying a veritable fortune to have a new heater put in will leave you with an improvement that may reach the end of its lifespan before it’s actually paid for itself.

At All Temp Co., Inc Air Conditioning, Heating, Plumbing, & Electrical, we specialize in the installation, maintenance, and repair of heat pumps, geothermal heating and cooling systems, and wine cellars. If you want to find the most efficient and most needs-specific heating system for your home, we can help. We offer first-rate customer service and highly competitive prices. Call us today to schedule a consultation appointment.