If you’re reading this, you might be planning to have a new heating system installed in your home during the coming spring. Or you’re in an emergency situation where your current heating system is failing and you’ll need to call our experts for heating installation in Hatboro, PA soon.
Whatever the case, we’re glad to help! The best way we can assist is to come to your home, look at your current heater and heating needs, and give you our professional opinion about what type of heating system ideally suits you.
To help you get an idea of what’s ahead, here are your major options for a new heating system.
Gas Furnace
The most common type of heating system in our area, gas furnaces are powerful and capable of handling the worst cold the Pennsylvania winter can hurl your way. They’re reliable and work fast, and depending on the cost of natural gas in your area, they might be a cost-effective option. Of course, you must have a natural gas line for your home to use. Some homeowners aren’t comfortable with using gas-powered appliances because of potential safety hazards (although these systems are built with many safety features).
Electric Furnace
For homes that only use electricity, the electric furnace is always a possibility. Electric furnaces can provide enough heat for comfort, although they work slower than gas furnaces at delivering it. The cost of electricity is often higher than natural gas, which makes these furnaces more costly to run. On the other hand, electric furnaces are less expensive to purchase upfront, which works with some budgets. They also don’t have the same safety concerns as gas furnaces.
Boiler
Boilers provide radiant heat, which many homeowners prefer to the forced-air heating of furnaces. Boilers have the advantage of longer service lives and fewer repair needs, and their high efficiency makes them less expensive to run than most furnaces. However, not all homes are set up for boilers: they require piping and terminal points like radiators, baseboard heaters, and in-floor elements. It can be pricey to switch to a boiler if your home is already set up for a forced-air system.
Heat Pump
If you’d like forced-air heating and cooling in one unit, then a heat pump is a great choice. Heat pumps work like air conditioners that can reverse the direction they operate so they also work as heating systems. When it comes to heating, a heat pump is a real energy saver—often better than both gas and electric furnaces. The tricky part is that heat pumps can lose their energy efficiency in extreme cold conditions like we get in Pennsylvania unless they have backup heating systems, so ask HVAC technicians about whether a heat pump is right for you.
Ductless Mini Split Heat Pump
This type of heat pump works without needing pre-existing ducts. We recommend these for older homes that lack ductwork and the space to have them installed. Ductless heat pumps have several other advantages, such as automatic zone controls and lower energy costs that can make them appealing choices in the right situation.
Rely on Dowd Mechanical Heating & Air Conditioning for help with installing a new heating system. “A Degree Above the Rest.”
