Vol. 8: Issue #21 Letter: #169 (Previous newsletters available in archives on web site)
"Comfort is our specialty...Quality is our method...Satisfying you is our goal".
 NOTE: In our newsletter of 9/11/07 we started to answer a question that one of our readers had asked, saying: “I have oil heat and window units for air conditioning. I also have natural gas available. How about a new(s) letter on the pros and cons on different options for heating and cooling”?
As we mentioned in that newsletter, “We thought we had pretty well covered that subject in 2 newsletters published 11/8; and 11/22 (2005; Parts I & II) entitled “The Ultimate Heating System” (which are still available from our archives (click here) but then went on and answered the first part of the question.
Unfortunately, we had to postpone the 2nd part of the answer, due to the hundreds of our customers who regularly take advantage of our Annual Fall Promotion to prepare their heating systems for the forthcoming winter. Here is the final part of the answer:
The Ultimate Heating/Cooling System (Part IV)
(Choosing the Right Fuel)
There are basically two types of fuels for residential home HVAC systems…those that require a flame to operate and those that do not.
Most central systems presently installed use a flame to create heat by combustion, just as they did almost 100 years ago. These systems use a furnace (or boiler) to burn a fossil fuel (such as oil, natural gas or propane) or in some instances, wood.
Until the last 30 years, combustion-based systems have been the preferred heating systems because of their moderate installation and operating costs and wide availability in the market place.
More advanced (and increasingly popular), are non-combustion systems…systems that operate by transferring or moving heat from one location to another. These include heat pumps and geothermal systems.
Beginning in the 1970s, air-source heat pumps came into their own. Because there is no combustion, there is no possibility of indoor pollutants like carbon monoxide. Heat pumps also provide central air conditioning as well as heating and their installation costs are competitive with a fossil fuel furnace/central air conditioner combination.
Heating is accomplished during the winter, by capturing heat from the outdoor air (rather than creating it by combustion), then compressing it and transferring into the home. During the summer, the process is reversed as the heat pump captures heat from inside a home and transfers it to the outdoor air through the condensing unit.
Geothermal systems perform similarly except they capture and transfer heat from the earth rather than from the air. For a more detailed explanation of heat pump operations, click here (How Does A Split System Heat Pump Work).
Nearly all heat transfer systems can be reversed, providing central cooling as well as heating. Most geothermal systems (and some air source heat pumps) also provide domestic hot water at low operating costs.
The 3 most common sources of energy in our area are (1) fuel oil (2) natural or LP gas (3) electricity (heat pumps). There are avid proponents for each. As we have said in similar discussions “there is no such thing as a perfect choice…if there were, then everyone would have that one and there would be no reason for any discussion”. The same applies to fuels.
Conclusions:
When comparing heating systems, many factors including availability, where one lives, price and even more personal preferences contribute to the final choice. Safety, installation, operating costs, and maintenance costs also must be factored in and carefully considered.
To help simplify the selection process, it is strongly recommended that all of these factors be combined into a “life-cycle cost”…the cost of ownership over a period of years.
Sometimes it’s difficult to remember that its just been within the past 75 years that the country changed from “hard fuels” (coal & wood) and much less than that, to automatic heat. Of one thing we are positive “Taking the lowest bid and expecting highest quality” is just not a valid assumption.
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Or you can select from some of the most popular accessories like a programmable thermostat that automatically regulates the heating/cooling in your house to suit your lifestyle (click here) or an electronic air cleaner that removes dirt, dust and pollen to improve your health (click here) or an automatic humidifier to add moisture to the air in the winter (click here) or how to add a zoning system that will save you money as it increases or decreases the heating/cooling in those rooms where and when it is not needed (click here). |
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