There are several ways to heat your home, and they vary from the fuel source (oil or gas), to the actual method of transferring heat into your home (furnace, boiler, or heat pump).
Furnace
- Most commonly run on oil or gas/propane.
- Fuel heats a heat exchanger.
- Then a blower forces heated air around a chamber, through the duct work and into the home.
- Single and Second stage operations.
- Two-stage operations use only half of the system's capacity to heat the home. When weather becomes very cold, the system automatically switches to full capacity.
Boiler
- Heats and circulates water.
- Can have an "Indirect Water Heater" or an "Internal Tankless Coil".
- Heavily insulated to minimize heat loss.
- Can be zoned - meaning different areas of the home can be regulated by their own thermostat.
- EXAMPLE: one zone can be in the kitchen/dining area and another zone can be in the living room.
Heat Pump
- Heats your home in the winter and cools your home in the summer.
- Uses refrigerants for both heating and cooling.
- When it is cold outside, the heat pump extracts outside heat and transfers it inside.
- When it is warm outside, the heat pump reverses the flow of refrigerant and becomes an air conditioner by extracting heat from inside and transferring it outside.
Dual-Fuel System
- An economical system known as the "Piggyback" unit or "Hybrid Heat".
- Combines a high-efficiency heat pump with a high-efficiency gas furnace or boiler.
- Cools in the summer and heats in the winter.
- A backup source of heat during extreme cold.
- Furnace heats and blows out air.
- During cold periods:
- A control box automatically switches the heat pump off and activates the furnace.
- When the temperature rises.
- The furnace automatically shuts off and the heat pump becomes the primary heating source again.
No matter what season or temperature you can depend on a Dual-Fuel heating and cooling system.
- Provides efficiency and comfort.
- Automatically chooses the most economical fuel source.
- Provides the customer with numerous benefits like:
- Lower utility costs.
- Security of having two heating sources.
- Extended equipment life.