Choosing An Efficient Heating System When Designing A New Home
If you are in the process of designing a new home, this is the ideal time to make significant choices that will allow your heating system to be more efficient. Choosing the right heating strategy will affect your home and family for decades to come.
Fuel
The major variable that will affect the efficiency of your system is the fuel source it uses. Now is the time to make the decision because you will need new lines installed for certain fuel sources and it is less expensive to do it now than later. Natural gas heating is often preferred because it has the best combination of being energy-efficient and easy to acquire. If you want a gas furnace, you should also think about installing other appliances that will use natural gas, such as the stove or water heater. This will make the best use of your gas lines and allow other appliances to use more efficient fuel sources. If you will build your home in a more rural area, you likely want to make the decision between electric and propane, if gas is not an option. Both of these fuels can support other appliances, minimizing the need to have several different sources of fuel for your home. Propane is the more efficient of the two, but electric will be easier to install and find appliances.
Staging
Most furnaces operate at a single stage, which can cause uneven heating of your home and it is more work on the system. Choosing a two-stage or multi-stage heating system will be the most efficient and best for the overall comfort of your home. People who live in areas with harsh winters may find a single-stage furnace is fine since the weather is consistently cold. Those who live in areas where the temperature significantly fluctuates during the colder months will find having staging allows them to alter the amount of heating based on the weather. When the weather is cooler, but not cold, the furnace can run at a lower level, making the temperature more comfortable. On days of extreme weather, the furnace can operate at full power. Staging prevents your furnace from using unnecessary energy and fuel and avoids overheating your home.
Zoning
Zoning your heating system will also make your system more efficient. There are multiple approaches to zoning. If you are installing a typical furnace, you can choose various types of zoning. You might zone based on quadrants or floors. Zoning based on quadrants can be helpful because each quadrant will receive different amounts of sunlight. Areas that receive less direct sunlight will not need as much heating during the daylight hours and may have residual heat for a while after sunset. Quadrants with less direct sunlight will be harder to heat and will need the heat to run at a higher intensity or longer duration to reach a comfortable temperature. Zoning by floors is a good option, especially for larger homes. Since the upper floors generally remain warmer, zoning prevents the upper floors from becoming excessively hot while warming the first floor.
When designing a new home, part of the process is selecting a furnace. Using the right combination of features will save you money on your utility costs while keeping your home comfortable. For more information on heating, contact a company near you.
Share