Greener Ways to Keep Warm Over Winter

If you have been putting off your winter maintenance, now is the time to get to grips with it, and to book any manufacturer required maintenance checks, or that essential furnace service. However, all furnaces have a limited life and it could be that an essential furnace repair really isn't worth doing. You might be better off putting the money towards a new heating and cooling system. Unless your system is relatively recent, you're likely to be amazed by how much technology has advanced during the past few years, as the newest systems are able to increase home comfort while giving greater energy savings. There are quite a few different systems to choose from, as there are geothermal heating and cooling systems, solar heating and cooling systems, or hybrid systems that utilize two different fuel sources. Although the initial outlay for these types of systems may seem a little higher, homeowners will quickly realize the benefits that can be obtained from utilizing energy that is essentially free and renewable.

The Advantages of Choosing Hybrid Systems

Hybrid systems utilize an electric heat pump with some type of furnace that can be powered by gas or oil. The advantage of this type of system is that it automatically switches to the most economical fuel source, provided the system is correctly set up. The efficiency and savings offered by this system do depend upon the level of home comfort required, as some people like a warmer home than others, as well as the temperature outside and current energy prices. This may sound complicated, but really it's quite easy to setup. The basic premise of hybrid systems is that during the cooler months the system absorbs heat from the outside air to channel inside, while during the warmer months it does the reverse, channeling heat within the house to the outside, creating a cooling effect.

Advantages of Solar Heating and Cooling Systems

Solar heating and cooling systems are really quite versatile. They collect the light from the sun to transfer into a storage system so it can be used throughout the home whenever it is needed. The heat is usually collected through the use of photovoltaic panels that tend to be installed on the roofs of homes. These types of systems can be used with radiant hot water systems, boilers and heat pumps, and some people find they can meet most of their heating and cooling needs in this way. However solar heating and cooling systems do need to be properly installed to be fully effective. They also need to be properly maintained in order to make sure they are working at an optimum level.

Advantages of Geothermal Heating and Cooling Systems

Geothermal heating and cooling systems utilize the temperatures of the earth. Whereas air temperatures tend to fluctuate, the temperature underground is much more stable. A geothermal heating and cooling system will extract the warmth from the earth so it can be used to comfortably heat a home. One of the major advantages of this type of heating system is that it is quite low maintenance, and this tends to mean that geothermal heating and cooling systems will last a little longer than other types of heating systems.