Expert Tips: Choosing the Right Heating System for Your Home
So far, Chicago’s winter hasn’t been too unbearable. Damp days, however, are no fun. Add nights when it dips into the teens, and a home becomes cold in little time if the heating system stops working. Sometimes, parts can be replaced and get your home warm and cozy again. What do you do when the necessary repairs are almost as expensive as a new heating system?
Nothing feels as bad as waking up in the middle of the night to find your home’s cold and your pipes are in danger of freezing. It’s not a power outage. Your heating system isn’t working again. Extra blankets may help you stay warm enough, but the cost to replace a burst pipe ranges from $200 to $3,000, depending on the amount of damage caused by the water leak.
Our tips help you understand how to choose the right heating system. Air Blue’s experts cover the pros and cons of different systems and help guide you to the best option for your budget and needs.
Why It’s Important to Choose the Right Heating System
The right heating system isn’t always the cheapest. While you might seek a bargain, the wrong system offers inadequate heating, wastes fuel and electricity, and costs more as it fails sooner than expected.
You want a heating system that provides the comfort you seek while also helping lower your monthly heating bills. Energy efficiency also helps lower your carbon footprint, which benefits your kids, grandkids, and other future family members.
There’s one more benefit to upgrading to the right heating system. It increases your home value. When it comes time to sell, an efficient system is more appealing to buyers. Not only can it help you get higher offers, but it also makes your home more likely to sell quickly.
Understanding the Different Heating System Types
Depending on what’s already in your home, you may not have a lot of say as to what type of heating system is installed. If you’re willing to spend extra to redesign your home, such as adding ducts and tearing out baseboards and pipes, you could switch. It’s more time-consuming, however. While a boiler or furnace are the two most common choices, there are many options.
Boilers
Boilers work by heating water and forcing it through pipes in the home that lead to baseboard heaters or radiators. They’re a more expensive option, and yearly maintenance is often required to ensure it works properly.
There are two main parts to the system. The boiler itself and an expansion tank that keeps the water pressure from damaging the supply pipe joints and valves. It’s not surprising to have the expansion tank spring pinhole leaks after five to ten years, so expect to replace that component regularly. Keep it inspected to help lengthen its life.
Boilers are quiet and efficient. However, they can be more expensive to install. You need to keep the baseboard’s aluminum fins clean of dust to ensure the heat transfer is optimal.
Furnaces
A furnace uses forced hot air to heat your home. They’re often paired as a heating and cooling system. Ducts allow that air to travel around the home. A furnace is usually very quiet and allows for multiple zones.
Furnaces are cost-effective, but you need to be careful that you’re not trading efficiency for a low price. Regular maintenance is important. You should change the air filter regularly and ensure any floor or wall registers are clear of dust, hair, dead insects, and fur.
Heat Pumps
Many homeowners are turning to heat pumps as an energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly form of heating. A wall unit is installed in the rooms of your home that need heating. Outside, there’s another unit that helps in the heat transfer. In the summer, that same system can cool your home.
The price is great and ample rebates make them appealing. The downfall is that they don’t work effectively in very cold weather. For that reason, they’re a better choice for supplemental heating. If one system isn’t working effectively, you have a backup.
Radiant Floor Heating
Another option is radiant floor heating, but it can be costly depending on the system you choose. It’s also important to consider repairs, as flooring has to be removed.
If you don’t want a visible heating system like baseboards or duct openings, radiant floor heating is aesthetically pleasing because the heating system’s electric cables or hydronic (water) pipes are hidden in your flooring.
Wood Burning
Wood stoves are great for supplemental heating, but they’re not as good for whole-house heating. A wood furnace is another option, but they’re not allowed in every area. Research the laws first. Consider the cost of wood, too, and the work that goes into stacking it and adding more wood to the outdoor furnace or wood stove as needed.
Pellet stoves gained popularity about a decade ago, and some homeowners still consider them for home heating. There are also wood pellet boilers and furnaces available. While they’re an option, keep in mind that when you clean them, ashes may be released into the air within your home.
Pellets need to be stored until you use them. If you purchase them by the ton, they come on a wrapped skid, and you have to find room for it. Plus, you must keep up with daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly cleaning if your system isn’t self-cleaning. It can be a lot of work.
We feel that a wood or pellet stove is a better option for residential homes where a backup heat source is desired. Check your local laws, however, and make sure your homeowner’s insurance allows for wood burning. Some don’t allow it or require additional coverage that gets expensive.
Factors That You Must Consider When Choosing a New System
Those are the possibilities. What factors are most important to consider when deciding what’s best for your needs?
Budget – It needs to be affordable. If a system is going to strain your budget, it’s often better to get the best you can for the money you have.
Energy Efficiency – The more efficient it is, the more money you save on gas, electricity, or heating oil.
Home Design – Larger homes with multiple bedrooms need a system capable of heating the entire space. Your insulation’s quality and rating also play a role in choosing the best heating system. Is one zone enough or would you like multiple zones for each floor of your home?
Visual Appeal – While a boiler or other HVAC system is often tucked into a basement, mudroom, or closet, you may not like the look of ducts and registers, especially if any ducts are exposed. They also take up space, and in a small home, that space can be a valuable commodity.
Save Money on a New Heating System
Most Chicagoans want a furnace, boiler, or heat pump to keep their home or apartment cozy all winter. While a new heating system is expensive, government tax credits and rebates help lower the cost. Take advantage of tax credits and energy rebates before these valuable programs end.
For example, ComEd offers discounts of up to $1,400 for ducted heat pumps. Ameren Illinois has discounts of up to $700. Plus, federal tax credits on energy-efficient heating systems help offset the expense even more.
Why not get a free quote to learn more about the different options that are best for your home’s design and square footage? Air Blue is happy to go over the available systems that match your budget. Contact us to learn more.
