Introduction to
Home Heating Systems
Learning Objectives:
• Understand the difference between space and
central heating,
• Be able to identify different types of
distribution systems,
• Have basic knowledge of various heating
system options, and
• Be familiar with energy efficiency ratings
What is a Heating System?
A heating system is defined as any piece or
combination of equipment that is used to raise
the temperature in your home. This can be
accomplished several ways, using energy
sources such as:
Solar Oil Wood
Electricity Gas
Types of Heating Systems
Regardless of the fuel source, heating systems
can be divided into two basic categories:
Space heating Central heating
Space Heaters
Space Heaters heat nearby air or objects and
their ability to heat is limited to a specific area.
There are several small heating units located
throughout the home.
Examples:
• Electric Baseboard
• Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pump
• Wood stove
• Fireplace
Central Heating
Central Heating Systems have a much higher
heating capacity than a space heater. There is
generally one heating unit attached to a distribution
system throughout the home. Heat is transferred
using either water or air.
Examples:
– Furnaces
– Boilers
– Heat pumps
Water Based Distribution
Water based systems (hydronic systems) use
pipes and circulation pumps to distribute heated
water throughout the home.
Hydronic systems can use heating equipment
such as boilers, geothermal heat pumps, and
solar water heaters.
Hydronic systems offer many distribution
options
In-floor heating Radiators
Hot water
baseboards
Forced Air Distribution
Forced air systems use ductwork and circulation
fans to distribute heated air throughout the
home.
Heating equipment includes furnaces, air source
and geothermal heat pumps.
Choosing the right Heating System
If you are thinking of installing a new or upgrading your
existing heating system, you have several options to choose
from. But the decision of which one is best for you and your
home will be affected by several factors.
Answering the following questions may help you determine
your best heating option:
1. Central or Space heating?
2. Forced air or Hydronic?
3. What fuels can I access?
4. What’s my budget?
Central or space heating?
If you have an existing home with electric baseboard,
your options are somewhat limited unless you are willing
to install ductwork/plumbing.
The only way to increase the efficiency of an electric
baseboard heated home is to add a supplemental heat
source such as a ductless mini-split heat pump, wood
stove or solar thermal heater.
If you have an existing centrally distributed system then
you are limited to technologies based on whether it is
forced air or hydronic.
Central or space heating?
If you are building a new home, your options are wide open!
While electric baseboard is generally less expensive and a
quick install, you are limited in your options to upgrade in the
future.
A centrally distributed heating system offers flexibility to
change fuels and adapt to new technologies. Some central
systems also offer the advantage of cooling.
And many centrally distributed systems can be significantly
less expensive to operate in the long run.
Forced air or hydronic system?
When selecting a system for a new home, whether you choose a
forced air or hydronic system is usually a matter of comfort
and/or options. Forced air systems can easily be adapted for
cooling, whereas some homeowners prefer the feel of radiators
or in floor heating from hydronic systems.
Once you’ve made the decision or if you are looking to upgrade,
you have the following options based on your system type:
Forced air systems can be a high efficiency furnace, an air
source heat pump, or a geothermal system.
Hydronic systems can be a high efficiency boiler, a geothermal
heat pump, or a solar water heater.
What fuels can you access?
When trying to decide which heating system is best for
you, a good place to start is by eliminating any options
that won’t work :
• If considering geothermal, what is the soil like? Do you have
enough land to dig trenches? Do you have any natural aquifers or
wells you could tap into?
• If considering solar, do you have a south facing roof free from
shading?
• Do you have access to natural gas?
• Are you in a designated Wellfield Protection Area? If so, you can’t
use oil or geothermal.
What’s your budget?
The most efficient heating systems often have the highest
price tags. But the money you save on fuel each month
could pay for the system over a few years, leaving you
with extra savings in the long run.
Consider both the upfront cost and the cost over the
lifetime of the heating system.
If you’re starting from scratch, the equipment costs will
be small compared to the overall cost for your home; the
savings on your heating bill can far outweigh the increase
in your monthly mortgage!
Comparing apples to apples
Since each type of heating systems uses
different technology and energy sources, energy
efficiency and energy consumption is calculated
differently.
So how do you figure out which system is more
efficient when comparing multiple
technologies?
Heating Output
Most heating appliances measure heat output in
kilowatt hours (kWh) or British thermal units
(Btus). Heat pumps measure output in Btus or
tons.
1 kWh= 3,413 Btu
1 ton = 3.51 kWh = 11,980 Btu
Efficiency of furnaces and boilers
How we measure fuel efficiency depends on the
technology:
Electric resistance appliances, and oil or gas furnaces and
boilers use the Annual Fuel Usage Efficiency (AFUE)
Heat produced
AFUE = X 100%
Fuel used
The AFUE is calculated using btus.
The higher the AFUE the more efficient the appliance.
Efficiency of heat pumps
Geothermal Heat Pumps use Coefficient of
Performance (COP) to measure heating output.
Heat produced (kwh)
COP =
Fuel used (kwh)
Air Source Heat Pumps use Heating Season
Performance Factor (HSPF)
Heat produced (btus)
HSPF =
Fuel used (kwh)
ENERGY STAR®
To be sure you are choosing a high efficiency,
quality heating system look for the ENERGY STAR
symbol
The ENERGY STAR rating is reserved for the top
performing (most efficient) heating systems.
Incentives
If you’re thinking of installing a new heating system
or upgrading your existing system to a high-efficiency,
ENERGY STAR rated model, there are subsidies
available through Efficiency NB’s Residential Energy
Efficiency Program (REEP):
For more information, check out the following links:
Existing Homes Existing Apartment Buildings
New Homes New Apartment Buildings
Other Documents in this series:
Visit [Link]/learningcenter
• Building your Energy Efficient New Home
• Building Materials Overview
• Heating with Electricity
• Heating with Oil and Gas
