What is a Centralized Water Heating System?

Presidential Heating & Air Conditioning

Gaithersburg HVAC Contractors

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A centralized water heating system is a heating system that utilizes water to heat your home from one location. These can come in a variety of different systems including heat pumps, boilers, and solar. Each system is not that same and you’ll find that each one works better in a different climate, house, and current heating system. To help you choose the right centralized water heating system for your home, reach out to an HVAC contractor for a free estimate.

Heat Pump Systems

Heat pumps work by exchanging heat energy air from outside the home or under the ground. The heat from the earth or air outside of your home to a refrigerant material in your heating system’s coils. The heat is then distributed throughout the home. These systems are best suited in environments that have a moderate temperature. Heat pumps can both cool and heat your home so long as the temperature change required is not too great. Installation for a heat pump typically consists of an indoor unit called an air handler and an outdoor unit referred to as a heat pump. One of the main advantages of this type of system is how energy efficient it is because it moves heat rather than having to generate it. It is also powered by electricity, so you don’t have to worry about using fuel. Heat pumps system can not only be used to heat your home but often times that can be combined with other systems to act as a water heater. So you can have your heating, cooling, and water heating all functioning within the same system.

Boilers

A boiler is a type of centralized heating system. It works similarly to a traditional furnace, but instead of using fuel to heat your home, it uses water. This works by pushing the hot water through a series of pipes that run throughout the building, connecting to radiators in each room. The radiators are filled with the hot water and they are able to the heat the room they are located in. In most modern systems, the water is usually piped through in-floor radiant heat pipes rather than having a wall-mounted radiator. One of the big advantages of a boiler heating system is that it allows for better air quality in your home compared to other systems. This is because they don’t move dust or allergens throughout the home and they don’t have an ductwork that requires cleaning. Another advantage of boilers is that they are completely silent.

Solar

A solar heating system works with your existing hot water system. The solar collectors circulate a fluid (usually a corn glycol) through the solar array, where it is heated and then transferred back to the solar storage tank. As the heated fluid circulates through the tank, the water in the tank is heated. The hot water that your existing heating system uses is then circulated through a heat exchanger in the storage tank. As the water passes through the heat exchanger, it is warmed and then returned to the heating system. This process allows you to keep your current heating system off, or at least significantly shortening the amount of time it has to run. One of the major benefits of a solar heating system is that they can often be customized to your specific needs.

Solar heating can also be used with radiant floors. Radiant floors use low to medium temperature water running under the floorboards to heat a room directly, so powering it with a solar system allows the heating system to be extremely cost and energy efficient. Using a solar water heating system can supplement your current heating system and offer you savings of up to 20-30%.

How to Choose The Right Heating System

Choosing the right heating system for your home can be complicated because so many factors play into it. You need to consider the following variables, the local climate, existing heat equipment in your home, the layout of your home, land your home is on, the size of your home, and whether your home is seasonal or year-round. You want the heating system you choose to be cost and energy efficient, as well as delivery your home with the amount of heat it needs. You also need to consider where the heating system will go, as some have restrictions on how close they can be to other objects and walls. To help you make this decision, reach out to an HVAC contractor to schedule a free estimate and for their expert knowledge and opinion on which heating system will work best in your home.

Centralized vs. Decentralized Heating Systems

Centralized heating systems and decentralized systems differ in the fundamental design of the system. Centralized heating works by heating from one point in your home. From this point, heat is distributed out into the other various rooms of your house to bring the air in your home to a consistent temperature you set your thermostat to. Often times these systems are combined with a cooling system and ventilation system to provide complete control airflow, temperature, and humidity throughout the home form a single control point. Some of the advantages of a centralized heating system include; an easy control from one central thermostat, comfortable and consistent temperature from room to room, a highly efficient system, fewer potential problems sites when repair is needed, and lower the costs of heating your home over time.

Decentralized heating systems operate by having individualized units that control the heating within a single room or location. These are extremely advantageous to control the temperature in different areas of your home as needed. Having that kind of specific control from room to room can keep your heating costs to a minimum. These systems are often most practical in large commercial spaces dealing with the massive square footage. Advantages of a decentralized heating system include: being cheaper and easier to install, allowing for easier individual control of separate spaces, more affordable when dealing with large spaces, and repairs only have to happen in the individual room affected.