Central System or Electric Baseboard Heater? Which Is the Best Choice?
What Is a Central Heating System?
As the name implies, this type of HVAC appliance has a central unit that heats the home. Even though all central home heaters have a main unit, these appliances don't all work in the same way. Central systems:
- May use forced air heat. A forced air central heating systems tarts the warming process with a furnace. The furnace uses a fuel source (such as natural gas) to power the system. It pulls cool air in, heats it, and forces the air into a series of ducts with a blower. The warm air travels through the ducts and into your home through vents.
- May use hot water. Like a forced air system, this also has a central unit (the boiler). The boiler heats water to a high temperature. Instead of air ducts, the water travels through a series of pipes. The pipes lead to radiators in rooms or coils under the floor. </li>
- May use steam. This type of central system works in the same way as a hot water heater. But instead of just heating the water, the boiler turns it into steam.
Boiler-style central systems may also use baseboard radiators. Even though these are at the baseboard level, they differ from stand-alone (non-central) heaters. Instead of electricity, the boiler system's baseboard radiator uses heated water or steam that comes from a central unit.
What are Baseboard Heaters?
Take the next step and learn more about traditional electric baseboard heaters. An electric baseboard heater:
- Uses electricity. This may seem obvious. But you need to know what fuel source your heater uses before you invest in a new system. Unlike forced air furnaces and boilers, you won't need a natural gas hookup to install this option.
- Heats through convection. The heater pulls cool air in and uses a convection process (the circulation of warm and cool air) to heat each room.
- Doesn't have a central unit. Unlike central heating systems, electric baseboard heaters are stand-alone appliances that heat each individual room or interior space. This means you can heat one room, a few rooms, or every room in your home.
Some homeowners combine electric baseboard heaters with a full central heating system. This allows you to add extra heat to one specific space or heat a room the central system's ducts or pipe network doesn't reach.
Which Heater Is the Best Choice?
The better question is - which heater is the best choice for your home? Each home is different and has different heating needs. If you're not sure which option to install, consider:
- The existing setup. Do you already have air ducts or radiators? You may want to use the existing heating system setup to support a new central furnace or boiler. But if your home doesn't have ducts or radiators, you may save money with a baseboard heating option.
- The amount of your home you need to heat. If you don't need to heat each space, baseboard heaters allow you to create a zoned method of warming the interior space.
- The noise level. The blowing sound from a forced air heater is usually noticeable. Likewise, some baseboard heaters are also noisy. To reduce the noise level, consider a radiator option.
- The cost of use. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, space heating accounts for nearly 45 percent of energy use-related bills in homes. This means a baseboard heater may cost you more to use over time than a central system.
You don't have to make the central system versus baseboard heater choice alone. A qualified HVAC professional can provide you with options and help you to select the justright model.
Do you need a new home heater? Contact D&R Service, Inc., for more information.
