When it comes to heating your home, you have a few different options to choose from. Two popular options are heat pumps and boilers. Knowing the differences between the two and what benefits come with each will allow you to make a more informed decision about which one to invest in for your home.
Boilers
A boiler, at its simplest definition, is an enclosed vessel where water is heated. The vessel is warmed by a burner that can be fueled by natural gas, propane, electricity, or heating oil. In hot water boilers, the system will heat water up to an extremely hot temperature and push it through a series of pipes to radiators throughout a home.
In a steam water boiler, water is boiled into steam, and the steam is forced through piping and into radiators. Heat is emitted by the radiators as the hot water or steam runs through them. As the steam chills back into water, it will be recirculated back into the boiler vessel, where it gets reheated.
Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are very different than boilers in the way that they generate heat. Instead of using a fuel source, a heat pump simply transports heat from outside to the inside of your home. Heat pumps are powered by electricity and can be extremely energy efficient at temperatures above freezing.
A heat pump essentially works by pulling heat into a substance called refrigerant. This refrigerant is piped in and out of your home via copper tubing. Once inside, the heat from the refrigerant is released via a blower fan into your rooms to heat them up. Apart from heating your home, a heat pump can cool it in the summertime as well by working in reverse. Heat pumps are only recommended for homeowners who live in a region of the country that doesn’t see temperatures drop below freezing in the wintertime.
Professional Heating Services
Daniel's Heating & Refrigeration Corp. offers professional heating services for Midlothian, VA and surrounding communities. Our helpful technicians can also assist with all of your cooling, water heater, sheet metal, indoor air quality, and heat pump needs. Contact us today to schedule your next service appointment with one of our highly skilled technicians.
