Boiler vs Furnace vs Heat Pump: What's the Difference?

November 14, 2019

Home heating systems are a necessity to keep your home warm for you and your family in the cold winter months. There are various types of home heating systems out there including boilers, furnaces, and heat pumps. There is a lot of confusion between these heating systems that we're going to address today so that you can have a better idea of which type of HVAC system is best for your home.

Boilers

A boiler system utilizes the concept of heating water into steam to heat your home. The boiler can utilize electricity, natural gas, propane, oil, or another alternative fuel source to heat up the water. The steam is then circulated throughout the home via radiators.

Since these systems have the steam enclosed inside of the radiators, there are no concerns about air quality issues. They require very minimal maintenance and are very quiet to use. More modern boiler systems can even be utilized to provide hot water for your home.

Furnaces

Furnaces a very popular option for home heating systems. They utilize propane, oil, natural gas, or electricity to heat air. This hot air is then circulated throughout your home in the air-ducts. This type of system works best for new home construction and for homes that have existing ductwork.

When it comes to expenses, furnaces tend to run on the cheaper side for installation. Unlike boiler systems, you don't have to worry about frozen pipes or leaks in your forced-air system. Our HVAC professional can help you to determine how often you'll need to change out the filters in your HVAC system to ensure that the hot air is free from harmful allergens.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are a new technology that is becoming very popular with homeowners for their ability to reduce energy costs. Heat pumps use the ground, water, and air outside to transfer heat into your home. For this reason, you may hear these referred to as water source, geothermal, and air-to-air heat pumps.

Our HVAC professional recommends this type of pump in areas of moderate climate to be the most effective. Since there is no need to make heat like with a boiler or furnace, this system is much more energy-efficient to run as it collects the heat. You can get these types of heating systems in both ductless and ducted. With newer technology called desuperheater, you can actually recover the wasted heat from your system and use it to heat up your hot water.

Call Us Today

Having a home heating system that works is a necessity for keeping your family warm this coming winter. Whether you're looking to update your existing boiler, heat hump, or furnace system or you're ready to have a new heating system installed, it's time to give us a call today.