The main types of heating systems currently available are:
1. Ducted heating
A system of air ducts are installed throughout the house either under the floor or in the ceiling / roof. Air is heated by a gas furnace or electrical heat pump (reverse cycle) and circulated through the house by an electric fan.
2. Hydronic heating
Hot water pipes are run throughout the house and heat is transferred through either a number of radiator panels in each room or an extensive network of water pipes installed inside the concrete floor slab. The water in these closed loops of pipes is heated by a gas furnace / boiler.
3. Geothermal heating
An extensive system of PVC pipes is installed deep underground. Water is pumped through these pipes and absorbs the heat stored in the ground in winter. The heat in the water is then concentrated in a “ground source heat pump” and sent as warm air throughout the house.
The five main criteria to consider when selecting the type of heating system for your new house are:
1. The cost of installing the heating system and the cost of running the system throughout the year.
2. How comfortable is the heating system to live with i.e.
- How evenly is the heat distributed?
- How noisy is the system when running?
- Are the heating outlets or panels visually intrusive?
- Is the heating equipment (boilers & condensors etc) visually intrusive to you or your neighbours?
- Will the system be comfortable to run at night whilst sleeping?
- Will the heating have any other possible affects on the family such as alergies or asthma?
3. How easy is the heating system to use?
- Does the system have a programmable thermostat?
- Can you just “set and forget” the system or will you need to operate it on a daily basis?
- Will your children and or grandparents be able to use the system?
- Can different rooms in the house have different temperature settings?
4. How easy is the system to mainting?
- How regularly will the system need professional servicing and how much does this cost?
- What warranty period does the system have?
- Will the home owner need to do regular maintenance tasks (such as cleaning the return air filter?)
5. How environmentally sustainable is the heating system?
- How much gas or electricity does the system use?
- Does the system produce any “greenhouse” emissions?
- Does the system use any toxic chemicals or products?
- What is the”environmental footprint” of the system? (i.e. the type of materials and amount of energy used to manufacture the heating system).
In the following spreadsheet I have rated the three types of heating using these five main criteria to help you decide which system will suit your requirements best.
(My rating system is “1” = least desirable and “10” = most desirable).
|
Ducting Heating |
Hydronic Heating |
Geothermal Heating |
|
|
Installation Cost Running Cost |
6 5 |
8 7 |
2 9 |
|
Comfort |
6 |
9 |
8 |
|
Ease of Use |
7 |
8 |
8 |
|
Maintenance |
6 |
9 |
8 |
|
Environmentally friendly |
5 |
7 |
9 |
|
Total Score Average |
35/60 5.8 |
48/60 8.0 |
44/60 7.3 |
|
My Comments |
Old school but reverse cycle system is best for cooling as well |
My favourite type of heating especially with slab heating, “so comfortable!” |
The heating of the future, still not very common & expensive to install but very economical to run |
