| Water Circulation |
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| This central heating system uses hot water heated by a boiler to heat your home. The hot water then travels through panels in the walls and heats up the air. This is a very common heating system due to the efficiency and the cost savings it gives. Moreover, it delivers heat uniformly around the house. |
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| Steam Boilers |
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| Steam boilers provide central heating through radiator located in different parts of the house. These radiators receive hot water from boilers which use gas or oil to heat the water and turn it to steam. |
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| Forced Air Furnace |
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| This system provides central heating by having air heated in the furnace. The furnace uses oil, gas or electricity to work. A blower distributes the heated air through different ducts. Therefore, ducts have to be installed in various rooms to get central heating from forced air furnace which can be quite expensive. |
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| Heat Pumps |
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| Central heating is provided by heat pumps through warm air taken from outside. It works in the opposite way to cool your home in the summers. Heat pumps are very efficient for central heating in homes as they save energy and lead to lower heating bills. Also they are not as noisy as other central heating systems. However, if you live in a very cold area, then you need a backup for heating your home. Heat pumps are also very costly. |
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| Solar Heating |
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| In solar heating system, central heating is provided by sunlight or solar energy. Sunlight passes through a heating system and is then distributed in the home through fans. It is expensive to install but is cheaper to operate than other systems. |
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| Electric Resistance System |
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| Electric resistance heating system is a heating unit which is hooked up to an electric supply. The heat generated in the unit is then passes through the ventilation system by using fans. They can drive up your heating cost if they use a lot of electricity. |
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| Biomass System |
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| Biomass system provides central heating through the burning of organic matter like wooden logs. It also uses a boiler which can be attached to an existing central heating system. Installation of this system is very expensive but it produces carbon neutral energy which is good for the environment. |
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| All these methods of central heating have benefits and drawbacks. Systems which use oil or electricity result in heating costs while central heating systems like solar heating and biomass system are expensive to install. You should choose the one which suits your requirements. |
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