Think about efficiency as well as comfort when selecting a furnace for your home

No home is complete without a heating system. Even in the southernmost parts of the United States, the mercury occasionally drops low enough to necessitate a furnace. There are a variety of different types of heating systems from which you can choose, including forced-air furnaces, boilers and heat pumps. Each type employs a different method of generating and dispensing warm air. No one method is better than the other, but each offers its own distinct advantages. For example, a forced-air furnace is noted for its economy and ability to work in tandem with air conditioners and indoor air-quality systems. A geothermal heat pump, on the other hand, is the most environmentally friendly option. By understanding how each type of system works and what its unique benefits are, you'll be able to select the model that's best for your home and family.

Forced-Air Furnaces

These types of furnaces fall into two basic categories: those with an 80 percent efficiency rating and those with a 90 percent efficiency rating. Higher-efficiency furnaces, which need no chimney, pull air from outside into a sealed combustion chamber where the air mixes with gas to create heat. This design is not only efficient but is also ideally suited to integrate with air conditioners and various air-quality components, such as air cleaners, humidifiers and air purifiers.

Boilers

Boilers utilize warm water to heat homes. The newest type of boiler system disperses warm water through plastic tubes buried beneath the floors, a system known as radiant floor heating. The main advantage of a boiler system over other systems, many professional heating and cooling contractors believe, is that it distributes heat more evenly, which leads to greater comfort. Unlike the air pumped out by a forced-air system, the heat created by a boiler isn't dry -- a relief to homeowners with chronic allergies. The downside is that a boiler system only generates heat. Separate ductwork for an air conditioner (and other air-quality components) will need to be installed separately.

Heat Pumps

These devices utilize an air-conditioning unit either to dissipate overly warm indoor air in the summer or to gather heat from the outdoors in the winter. (Even on a 40-degree day, there's actually a lot of heat in the air that a heat pump can use.) In addition to air-to-air heat pumps, there are geothermal heat pumps that extract warmth from the ground or from the water, both of which are better, more consistent sources of heat than the air.

It certainly helps to understand your home heating options, but before you commit to any one type, ask a professional heating and cooling contractor for advice. Experts often utilize complex software programs that, based on the heating needs of your home, can recommend the best size and type of system.

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