Your home doesn’t need a seasonal heating system – if it is located somewhere like Hawaii, that is. But if you live in the greater Sioux City, IA area, then we really don’t have to explain the benefits of residential heating. We’ll just say this: it spares you the considerable discomfort and inconvenience of freezing to death.
If you’re surrounded by corn instead of banana trees, then it’s not a matter of whether you need a heating system. It’s a matter of which heating system you should get. Here are your best options when a fireplace or woodstove just isn’t enough to cut it!
Furnace
This is the most popular heating system by far. A furnace turns oil, propane, natural gas or electricity into heat, which it then blows throughout the home’s ductwork.
Furnaces require relatively little maintenance, and are even more economical courtesy of their low fuel costs. In addition to preserving functionality, maintenance is necessary to reduce the risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning. Regular filter replacement is also a necessary part of furnace ownership, as is regularly cleaning the ducts so they don’t gather too much pollen, dust and other allergens.
Boiler
True to its name, a boiler uses fuel oil, propane, natural gas or electricity to heat water. A series of pipes and radiators (or baseboard heaters) then carry the hot water around the home where it transfers warmth to the surrounding air.
A boiler heats rooms evenly. It also gives the homeowner greater control over each room’s heat. (A forced air heating system can also do this once it has been upgraded with a zoning system.) Boilers are low-maintenance and don’t require filter replacement, although they can lose efficiency and spring leaks without annual check-ups. You will need a completely separate cooling system if your home is heated by a boiler.
Heat Pump
A heat pump uses refrigerant and electricity to gather heat from an outside source; depending on its type, it takes heat from the air, water or earth (geothermal). In the summer, a heat pump cools down the home by gathering heat from indoors and transferring it to the air, water or earth. A heat pump may work in conjunction with ductwork. Ductless mini-split heat pumps are also available, but are typically not used to control temperatures in spaces larger than 500 square feet.
Heat pumps are energy efficient, inexpensive to operate, and not reliant on fossil fuels (which isn’t necessarily to say that your local electricity provider doesn’t use them). A heat pump may fail to provide sufficient heat in very cold climates, and is usually more expensive to install than a furnace (unless it’s a smaller mini-split). Some homeowners have both a heat pump and a furnace, and only use the latter when it gets colder than 40 °F.
Radiant Heating
An in-floor radiant heating system is installed beneath the floorboards. An electric system consists of a series of wires that heat the room via thermal radiation. Alternatively, a hydronic radiant heating system consists of a network of pipes that circulate hot water (much like a boiler system). A hydronic system can also operate on electricity, although other fuel sources like oil and natural gas are also practical.
Whichever type of radiant heating system you choose, you can look forward to silent, efficient, and hypoallergenic performance. You will have to tear up your floor to install it, however, and also look forward to paying higher upfront costs.
No Matter Your Heating Solution, O’Connor Heating & Cooling Has You Covered
Even if your home doesn’t already include ductwork, installing a new furnace is affordable and straightforward. If winter preparation is currently your number one priority, then we welcome you to contact O’Connor Heating & Cooling today for a high-quality and energy-efficient furnace by Rheem! We serve the greater Sioux City, IA area, including nearby parts of Nebraska and South Dakota.
We also offer expert repairs on all makes and models of heating systems. We fix boilers, we fix heat pumps, and we fix gas, oil and electric furnaces alike!
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