Central Heating
Central Heating refers to systems which will heat an entire building (home, shop, office suites etc) by means of a single appliance. This can be achieved in a number of ways.
- Ducting Hot Air - using Gas or Electric devices
- Radiant Heating Panels
- Heating Floor or Slab (in effect, another form of Radiant heating)
Central Heating
Without getting too technical we will try to explain the different systems together with their "Pro's & Con's
Ducted Hot Air
A Gas Ducted Heating system is the most popular way for Hot Air Heating. Relatively inexpensive to install and the High Efficiency models are cost effective to run.Ideally the selection of a mid to high efficiency model enables the designers to create heating "Zones" within the home so as not to always heat up the entire home when only one area is being utilised. More costly up front but more economical to operate.
- Electric Ducted Heating (the heating part of a Reverse Cycle System) is rapidly gaining popularity. More expensive to operate than a Gas system but you get summer Cooling thrown in. One disadvantage is that the Systems are primarilly designed for cooling thus the air vents locations are not ideal for heating. But as most houses today are built on concrete slabs they share this problem anyway. A small price to pay for the following advantages:
- One one set of air vents (for both, Heating & Cooling);
- Option of multiple thermostats operating simultaneously so you can set different comfort levels for different rooms;
- One unit only - does heating AND cooling.
Radiating Panels
- This is usually synonomous with Hydronic Heating Systems which consists of special water-filled panels which are heated by heating the water and thus radiate heat into the room. Considerabley more complicated to install than gas ducted heating, nevertheless, possibly the most hygenic (no fans), flexible and comfortable heating systems on the market.
- A lesser known fact is that panels do not have to be water filled. For the smaller dwellings (such as townhouses, units or apartments) A series of Electric radiant Panels (e.g: Nobo Panels) can be centrally wired and controlled, thus creating a very effective mini central heating system!
Some of the brands that cater for the above are mentioned below.
Stop before you shop
Heating is a long term investment so before you even begin looking at heating systems, there are a few things you should consider. For instance, how will future lifestyle changes affect your heating needs?
Think ahead, and purchase a system that fulfills your current needs as well as your future ones. And keep in mind that a good heating system increases the value of your home. The money you spend now is sure to pay off later.
Finally, determine how many rooms you want to heat at any given time. Figure this out, and you're half way to finding the heating system that's right for you.
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