Many people want to make their home heating system as efficient as possible, says Jeff Stienstra of Stienstra Heating and Cooling, based in Hudsonville, Michigan. But not all systems will work for everyone. Here he discusses the two main options when it comes to efficient home heating, using solar energy or radiant floor heating.
Several choices are available when it comes to the most efficient way to heat a home. There are a lot of different trial systems to see which one is best and which ones works best for different applications. But, unfortunately, not all high-efficiency systems are suitable for all homes.
Solar Energy
The most efficient but not necessarily the most cost-effective method of home heating is to use solar energy. This is done by constructing the entire house in such a way that makes it ideal to get the maximum amount of sunlight during the cold months, and the least amount during the warm months. It is not the most common method, because it is a holistic home design that incorporates the entire construction, from the foundation to the roof, for that singular purpose of making it solar-efficient.
It is nearly impossible to retrofit many homes to make their use of solar energy efficient. It is just too cost-prohibitive. Many other details could prevent you from getting enough sunlight, such as your location, your surrounding buildings that shade your home and more.
Radiant Floor Heating
For homes wanting a more comfortable and efficient heating system, then radiant floor heating is probably the next best thing. By heating the floor of a home, it creates a convection current that allows warm air to rise from the floor. Often, by having a warmer floor temperature, the air temperature can actually be 5 F to 10 F cooler than a forced air system because the floor and all the objects on or near it are warm, as well as your feet.
Radiant floors are available either with hot water piping systems or with the electrical systems. If you are looking for a way to heat your home that is efficient but don’t think that solar heating is appropriate for your home, ask your heating and cooling specialist about radiant floor heating.
