Choosing the appropriate heating system that suits your needs and complements your household could be an overwhelming experience, but it’s a much easier process if you are well informed of the heating systems market and when you know what to consider. The market is flooded with numerous home heating systems and in order to know what you specifically need for your home, there are certain factors which you must take into account such as the dynamics of the building, heating requirements, heating system size, feature set associated with the system and of course the cost of the operation. 

First things first, a licensed heating-engineer is a must, as a professional who will guide you through the process of choosing and installing the right heating system solution. In this post, you will learn the different types of heating systems and some tips to help you choose the best one suiting your needs. 

There are 3 main types of home heating systems and every one of them comes along with different features and possibilities: 

• Central Heating System (Ducted system) 
• Ductless Heating System
• Direct Heating System 

#1 CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEM (DUCTED SYSTEM)

The central heating system supplies warmth to the entire interior of a building, house or for a number of rooms. The generation of heat goes through a central heat source which should be at an accessible yet secluded location such as a basement or an attic. The heat stretches throughout the house by a network of ducts or pipes depending on the type of the central heating system. This kind of heating system takes a larger space than any other type and that is something that every potential buyer of these kinds of warming systems should always have in mind. The three different types of central heating systems are furnaces, boilers and heat pumps.

Furnaces run on gas, electricity or fuel oil to warm the air in one area and distribute it throughout the house or building via a web of vents and ductwork. Also known as the warm air distribution system, furnaces are known for their high efficiency, low operating noise, affordability and high level of indoor air quality. 

As you may already know, boilers are special water heaters and unlike furnaces, this kind of system distributes heat in a form of hot water which loses its heat as it circulates through the radiators or other devices established in your home and instead of ducts the boiler uses pumps to circulate water. The water is then reheated in the boiler and the process continues. Also known as the hydronic system, setting up and controlling a boiler is way easier than furnaces.

Certainly not a new technology, heat pumps are in use for a long time now and they provide year-round climate control and are very easy to use. Heat pumps keep your home cool during the summer period and warm during winters with the support of an electric system. Since they use electricity to move rather than generating it, they are way more energy-efficient. If your place is not connected to the mains gas, you could go with electric energy as the main source of heating, as nearly every household in the UK got access to the electricity grid. 

#2 DUCTLESS HEATING SYSTEM

Totally opposite of the central heating system, the ductless heating system does not require a complicated web of ducts and vents to keep your household warm. A standalone system that has an indoor unit installed in your house with an outdoor compressor, this kind of system can be set up very easily and is not as expensive as the ducted heating system, but you need to install a separate system for each room.  

Minisplit heat pumps are a type of ductless heating system that provides both heating and cooling. With a modern look and quite amazing functionalities, they are small in size and can be controlled with remote control. 

Heating up your household uses more energy and costs more at the end of the month than any other system in your home, making up more than 40% of your utility bill. If you want to be comfortable year-round while cutting on energy costs, window ACs with heating option installed is one of the best options for you. There are multiple systems out there that can cater to different sizes of spaces for heating and cooling. 

Portable standing air conditioners are an option as well, they are lightweight and have wheels at the bottom so their transportation from one space to another is pretty easy. 

#3 DIRECT HEATING SYSTEM 

This system represents the conventional way of acquiring heat directly from the heat source and it does not require a web of ducts and vents or an outdoor unit to keep your household warm. The direct heating system fits well in small spaces or a room as it comes with a small heating unit. 

Gas-fired space heaters come either free-standing, wall-mounted or as floor furnaces which do not come with ductwork and outdoor units. These come as portable heaters and come handy when warming a single room. They are low on cost and can be installed without the help of a professional. Professionals discourage the use of unvented gas-fired heaters due to health and safety hazards. 

In order to warm a single room, electric space heaters are inexpensive to buy but they are not really energy efficient as they use electricity to generate the heat. They use electrical energy to generate heat using metals as heating elements. Also known as plugin heaters, they convert the electrical energy from the wall socket directly to heat. 

It depends on you of what kind of system you want to implement in your home considering your needs and wishes. Always tend to go for a heating system that is energy efficient, safe, cost-effective and easy to operate.