Winter is officially here and is about to kick it into high gear. Are you prepared for the coldest months of the year? How are you heating your home?
While your home may already have a heat source, you can always add or upgrade your system. Alternatively, when designing a new home, it’s best to consider all of your home heating solutions before making a decision.
Take a look at five of the most common options for keeping homes warm during the coldest times of the year.
1. Natural Gas Furnace
In residential areas, one of the most common home heating solutions is a natural gas furnace controlled by a thermostat. This can be one of the most convenient and automated options for keeping your home at a consistent temperature.
Furnaces typically used forced-air heating which pushes hot air through the home’s ventilation. In this scenario, some of the natural gas is wasted as exhaust. Additionally, there can be significant heat loss as the air passes through the ventilation system.
Unfortunately, it’s predicted that this fossil fuel will only last another 50 years or so. Therefore, using it to heat our homes is not has an expiration date, but it’s also somewhat irresponsible.
2. Wood Stove
Next, one of the oldest and most tradition home heating solutions is the woodstove. Wood stoves put out radiant heat, rather than forced-air heat. They also come with a lot of pros and cons.
Wood stoves can struggle to heat entire homes, depending on the size of the house and how it’s laid out. Additionally, they’re not automated, which means they must constantly be monitored, fed, etc. This could mean waking up multiple times during the night to ensure your family isn’t going to freeze.
However, wood stoves are incredibly versatile and can be used anywhere, regardless of if you’re in the city or out in the middle of nowhere with no connection to gas lines. As long as you have access to firewood that you can cut yourself or buy, you’ve got heat.
3. Pellet Stove
Pellet stoves operate much like wood stoves. However, they can burn hotter and more efficiently. They can also come in automated versions, where the stove feeds itself from a basin on top. This can be incredibly convenient for people who don’t want to constantly babysit their heat source.
Additionally, these home heating solutions are said to be the cleanest solid fuel-burning option out there. However, like a wood stove, pellet stoves do require cleaning and other maintenance.
4. Heating Oil
For people who like central home heating solutions but don’t have access to natural gas, they have options to fuel their furnace. Heating oil is often used in rural areas for people who want central heating.
Heating oil can be cheaper than natural gas but is slightly less efficient. However, there are companies that offer home fuel delivery services which makes it nearly as convenient as being tied into a natural gas line.
5. Under-Floor Heating
Finally, one of the most efficient home heating solutions is under-floor heating. This type of heating, as the name suggests, involves a series of heat coils underneath the floor which radiates heat throughout the home. Since heat rises, very little energy is wasted in this modality.
Under-floor heating can be powered by a boiler or electricity.
Looking for More Home Heating Solutions?
If you want to explore home heating solutions and businesses that can help, make sure you check out the rest of our website. Alternatively, take a look at more of our articles for additional information or advice. Good luck!