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Heating systems may be classified as central or local. Central heating is often used in cold climates to heat private houses and public buildings. Such a system contains a boiler, furnace, or heat pump to heat water, steam, or air, all in a central location such as a furnace room in a home or a mechanical room in a large building. The image to the right shows that simply using a cooks meat thermometer can help you determine temperature variations between registers throughout your home. This particular home showed a 40 degree temperature difference from furnace to the upstairs of the home. The reason for the difference is because the builder installed the ductwork on exterior walls where they are exposed to outside temperatures. The homeowner is considering re-installing the ductwork into interior walls.

Forced air systems send heated air through ductwork. During warm weather the same ductwork can be reused for air conditioning. The forced air can also be filtered or put through air cleaners. Most ducts cannot fit a human being (as they do in many films) since this would require a greater duct-structural integrity and create a potential security liability.

Heating can also be provided from electric, or resistance heating using a filament that glows hot when you cause electricity to pass through it. This type of heat can be found in electric baseboard heaters, portable electric heaters, and as backup or supplemental heating for heat pump (or reverse heating) system.

The heating elements (radiators or vents) should be located in the coldest part of the room and typically next to the windows to minimize condensation. Popular retail devices that direct vents away from windows to prevent "wasted" heat defeat this design parameter. Drafts contribute more to the subjective feeling of coldness than actual room temperature. Therefore, rather than improving the heating of a room/building, it is often more important to control the air leaks.

EnergyQue offers thermal imaging to find air leaks, missing insulation and where heat is escaping. Infrared imaging or thermography that detects radiation given off all objects based on their temperatures. The amount of radiation given off an object increases with temperature which allows the thermographic camera to see variation between different temperatures. This is an excellent way to detect leaks in the building envelop.

The invention of central heating is often credited to the ancient Romans, who installed a system of air ducts called "hypocaust" in the walls and floors of public baths and private villas. The ducts were fed with hot air from a central fire. Generally, these heated by radiation; a better physiologic approach to heating than conventional forced air convective heating.

Energy Efficient Heat

Water heating is more efficient for heating buildings and was the standard many years ago. Today forced air systems can double for air conditioning and are more popular. The most efficient central heating method is geothermal heating.

Energy efficiency can be improved even more in central heating systems by introducing zoned heating. This allows a more granular application of heat, similar to non-central heating systems. Zones are controlled by multiple thermostats. In water heating systems the thermostats control zone valves, and in forced air systems they control zone dampers inside the vents which selectively block the flow of air.

Specific tips for forced air heating systems:

• Get a programmable thermostat.
• Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed.
• Seal All exposed duct work with a mastic or duct paste and wrap with insulation. See more in this article: More on Duct Paste Here
• Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure they're not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.

Specific tips for radiant and boiler systems:

• Bleed trapped air from hot-water radiators once or twice a season; if in doubt about how to perform this task, call a professional.
• Insulate all heat pipes
• Place heat-resistant radiator reflectors between exterior walls and the radiators.
• Turn off kitchen, bath, and other exhaust fans within 20 minutes after you are done cooking or bathing because these create negative pressure in the building envelope drawing outside air in; when replacing exhaust fans, consider installing high-efficiency, low-noise models.
• Keep the draperies and shades on your southfacing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter your home and closed at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.

Long-Term Savings Tip:

Select energy-efficient products when you buy new heating and cooling equipment. Your contractor should be able to give you energy fact sheets for different types, models, and designs to help you compare energy usage. For furnaces, look for high Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings. The national minimum is 78% AFUE, but there are ENERGY STAR models on the market that exceed 90% AFUE.

Content source: Wikipedia.org and www.eere.energy.gov