The Basics of Heating your Home
Total home comfort is a priority for most of us. During the cold winters we all want to stay nice and cozy in our homes. In fact, it is such a priority that according to the U.S. Federal Government, heating and cooling accounts for about 45% of American’s annual energy bills. We pay a lot for our comfort so doesn’t it make sense that we should know how our HVAC (heating, ventilation and cooling) systems work? Below we’ll discuss how a heating system works, what types of heating systems are on the market, how systems are rated for energy efficiency and also just how far we’ve come in advancements that can improve your total home comfort.
In general terms, a central heating system provides warmth to an entire house or dwelling (or a portion of a house or dwelling) from one point to multiple rooms. A central heating system provides other benefits to you and your home as well. It can control air temperature and humidity, and maintain the quality of air in your home.
Most central heating and cooling systems are classified as forced air systems, because they send air through ductwork for distribution. Among the various types of heating systems, furnaces fueled by natural gas are the most common in the United States. Furnaces are a type of forced air system, as they heat your home by circulating heated air through series of ducts. A furnace works by burning fuel, the hot gas generated from this moves through a curved metal tubing called a heat exchanger, and then exits your home through a vent pipe. At the same time, air circulating through your ducts passes over the outside of the heat exchanger, and gathers heat from the hot metal. This heated air is then circulated throughout your home.
Another type of forced air system is a boiler. A boiler heats water, which provides either water or steam for heating your home. Steam can be distributed via pipes to steam radiators and hot water can be distributed via baseboard radiators or radiant floor systems, or can heat air via a coil.
A third option for heating your home is a heat pump, which works as an all-in-one heating and cooling system. It heats a home in winter and then cools it in the summer. A typical heat pump installation consists of two parts: an indoor unit called an air handler and an outdoor unit similar to a central air conditioner. A compressor circulates refrigerant that absorbs and releases heat as it travels between the indoor and outdoor units. When it’s cold outside a heat pump extracts this outside heat and transfers it inside. When it’s warm outside, it reverses directions and acts like an air conditioner, removing heat from your home. Note that heat pumps are best for moderate climates, keeping homes warm even when temperatures drop into the low 20s. A supplemental heating source may be needed for lower temperatures.
A fourth heating option is through radiant heating. This system supplies heat directly to the floor or to panels in the wall or ceiling of a house. This type of system relies largely on radiant heat transfer; the delivery of heat directly from the hot surface to the people and objects in the room via radiation of heat, also called infrared radiation.
A very energy-efficient way to heat (or cool) your home is through Geothermal heat pumps. This technology uses the constant temperature of the Earth as the exchange medium instead of the outside air temperature as a traditional heat pump would. With this advanced technology a geothermal heat pump can reach fairly high efficiencies (300-600%) on the coldest nights in winter, compared to 175-250% for air-source heat pumps on cool days. The initial costs of a geothermal system tend to be expensive but you make it back in low energy bills.
A last option is solar heating. This type of system utilizes two types of substances, either liquid or air, that are heated in the solar energy collectors. The collector is a device in which fluid is heated by the sun. Liquid-based systems heat water or an antifreeze solution in the “hydronic” collector, while air based systems heat air in the “air” collector. Both of these systems collect and absorb radiation and then transfer the solar heat directly to the interior space, from which the heat is distributed. Solar heating systems are most cost-effective when they are used most of the year and can be used to supplement a forced air system.
All systems are rated on how energy efficient they are. So when you are in the market for a new heating and/or cooling system you need to be aware of a system’s efficiency rating and what this means to you in terms of energy savings.
Gas and oil furnaces are rated by what is called AFUE which stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. This number, a percentage, tells you how much of your fuel is used to heat your home and how much is wasted. The higher the AFUE rating, the greater the efficiency. For example, if a furnace has a rating of 80%, the furnace converts 80% of the fuel that you supply to heat and 20% is lost out the chimney. The most efficient furnaces in the industry have an AFUE rating of up to 96.7%. The minimum set by the Department of Energy (DOE) is 78% and for Energy Star (a division of the EPA), 90%. You can go to the Energy Star website to find out more about energy efficient products that help you conserve energy and save on your utility bills, http://www.energystar.gov.
HSPF is an abbreviation for Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. It is the most commonly used measure of the heating efficiency of heat pumps. (The cooling efficiency of a heat pump is measured by its SEER.) The HSPF is a more important number when it comes to warming a house. This is basically the same as the SEER but evaluates additional energy uses like defrosting the unit during winter and back-up heat requirements.
Technically speaking, the HSPF is a heat pump's estimated seasonal heating output in BTUs divided by the amount of energy that it consumes in watt-hours. A heat pump with a high HSPF is more efficient than a heat pump with a low HSPF. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Energy enacted a new standard that required air-source heat pumps to be manufactured with a minimum HSPF rating of 7.7. The most efficient heat pumps have an HSPF of 10.
SEER is an abbreviation for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. It is the most commonly used measure of the efficiency of consumer central air conditioning systems. As of January, 2006, an air conditioner must have a SEER of at least 13 to be sold in the United States.
Heating systems have come a long ways. Not only have their efficiencies greatly increased, helping homeowners conserve energy and save on utility bills, now they offer additional features that can add significantly to total home comfort. One of these features is the ability to “Zone” your home. Zoning is simply of way of dividing up your home into areas with similar heating and cooling needs. With Zoning you are able to independently control different areas of your home according to the needs and occupancies of each room.
Another heating and cooling advancement has been programmable thermostats. This type of thermostat allows you to adjust the temperature to your specific needs whether you are home or not. You set up the program to lower the temperature when you are not at home and increase the temperature to a comfortable level before you return home. (This also works great if you are going on vacation.) Today’s programmable thermostats have several great benefits, they are easy to use, contribute to the overall system performance, maximize energy savings and provide complete comfort control.
When as much as half of your energy costs come from your heating and cooling system it makes sense to understand the basics of your system. By understanding your heating and cooling system you’ll become a better, smarter homeowner!
Sources: www.coolray.com
www.trane.com
www.honeywell.com
www.energysavers.org
www.energystar.org
Total home comfort is a priority for most of us. During the cold winters we all want to stay nice and cozy in our homes. In fact, it is such a priority that according to the U.S. Federal Government, heating and cooling accounts for about 45% of American’s annual energy bills. We pay a lot for our comfort so doesn’t it make sense that we should know how our HVAC (heating, ventilation and cooling) systems work? Below we’ll discuss how a heating system works, what types of heating systems are on the market, how systems are rated for energy efficiency and also just how far we’ve come in advancements that can improve your total home comfort.
In general terms, a central heating system provides warmth to an entire house or dwelling (or a portion of a house or dwelling) from one point to multiple rooms. A central heating system provides other benefits to you and your home as well. It can control air temperature and humidity, and maintain the quality of air in your home.
Most central heating and cooling systems are classified as forced air systems, because they send air through ductwork for distribution. Among the various types of heating systems, furnaces fueled by natural gas are the most common in the United States. Furnaces are a type of forced air system, as they heat your home by circulating heated air through series of ducts. A furnace works by burning fuel, the hot gas generated from this moves through a curved metal tubing called a heat exchanger, and then exits your home through a vent pipe. At the same time, air circulating through your ducts passes over the outside of the heat exchanger, and gathers heat from the hot metal. This heated air is then circulated throughout your home.
Another type of forced air system is a boiler. A boiler heats water, which provides either water or steam for heating your home. Steam can be distributed via pipes to steam radiators and hot water can be distributed via baseboard radiators or radiant floor systems, or can heat air via a coil.
A third option for heating your home is a heat pump, which works as an all-in-one heating and cooling system. It heats a home in winter and then cools it in the summer. A typical heat pump installation consists of two parts: an indoor unit called an air handler and an outdoor unit similar to a central air conditioner. A compressor circulates refrigerant that absorbs and releases heat as it travels between the indoor and outdoor units. When it’s cold outside a heat pump extracts this outside heat and transfers it inside. When it’s warm outside, it reverses directions and acts like an air conditioner, removing heat from your home. Note that heat pumps are best for moderate climates, keeping homes warm even when temperatures drop into the low 20s. A supplemental heating source may be needed for lower temperatures.
A fourth heating option is through radiant heating. This system supplies heat directly to the floor or to panels in the wall or ceiling of a house. This type of system relies largely on radiant heat transfer; the delivery of heat directly from the hot surface to the people and objects in the room via radiation of heat, also called infrared radiation.
A very energy-efficient way to heat (or cool) your home is through Geothermal heat pumps. This technology uses the constant temperature of the Earth as the exchange medium instead of the outside air temperature as a traditional heat pump would. With this advanced technology a geothermal heat pump can reach fairly high efficiencies (300-600%) on the coldest nights in winter, compared to 175-250% for air-source heat pumps on cool days. The initial costs of a geothermal system tend to be expensive but you make it back in low energy bills.
A last option is solar heating. This type of system utilizes two types of substances, either liquid or air, that are heated in the solar energy collectors. The collector is a device in which fluid is heated by the sun. Liquid-based systems heat water or an antifreeze solution in the “hydronic” collector, while air based systems heat air in the “air” collector. Both of these systems collect and absorb radiation and then transfer the solar heat directly to the interior space, from which the heat is distributed. Solar heating systems are most cost-effective when they are used most of the year and can be used to supplement a forced air system.
All systems are rated on how energy efficient they are. So when you are in the market for a new heating and/or cooling system you need to be aware of a system’s efficiency rating and what this means to you in terms of energy savings.
Gas and oil furnaces are rated by what is called AFUE which stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. This number, a percentage, tells you how much of your fuel is used to heat your home and how much is wasted. The higher the AFUE rating, the greater the efficiency. For example, if a furnace has a rating of 80%, the furnace converts 80% of the fuel that you supply to heat and 20% is lost out the chimney. The most efficient furnaces in the industry have an AFUE rating of up to 96.7%. The minimum set by the Department of Energy (DOE) is 78% and for Energy Star (a division of the EPA), 90%. You can go to the Energy Star website to find out more about energy efficient products that help you conserve energy and save on your utility bills, http://www.energystar.gov.
HSPF is an abbreviation for Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. It is the most commonly used measure of the heating efficiency of heat pumps. (The cooling efficiency of a heat pump is measured by its SEER.) The HSPF is a more important number when it comes to warming a house. This is basically the same as the SEER but evaluates additional energy uses like defrosting the unit during winter and back-up heat requirements.
Technically speaking, the HSPF is a heat pump's estimated seasonal heating output in BTUs divided by the amount of energy that it consumes in watt-hours. A heat pump with a high HSPF is more efficient than a heat pump with a low HSPF. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Energy enacted a new standard that required air-source heat pumps to be manufactured with a minimum HSPF rating of 7.7. The most efficient heat pumps have an HSPF of 10.
SEER is an abbreviation for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. It is the most commonly used measure of the efficiency of consumer central air conditioning systems. As of January, 2006, an air conditioner must have a SEER of at least 13 to be sold in the United States.
Heating systems have come a long ways. Not only have their efficiencies greatly increased, helping homeowners conserve energy and save on utility bills, now they offer additional features that can add significantly to total home comfort. One of these features is the ability to “Zone” your home. Zoning is simply of way of dividing up your home into areas with similar heating and cooling needs. With Zoning you are able to independently control different areas of your home according to the needs and occupancies of each room.
Another heating and cooling advancement has been programmable thermostats. This type of thermostat allows you to adjust the temperature to your specific needs whether you are home or not. You set up the program to lower the temperature when you are not at home and increase the temperature to a comfortable level before you return home. (This also works great if you are going on vacation.) Today’s programmable thermostats have several great benefits, they are easy to use, contribute to the overall system performance, maximize energy savings and provide complete comfort control.
When as much as half of your energy costs come from your heating and cooling system it makes sense to understand the basics of your system. By understanding your heating and cooling system you’ll become a better, smarter homeowner!
Sources: www.coolray.com
www.trane.com
www.honeywell.com
www.energysavers.org
www.energystar.org
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