Do you wish you could keep your home warm without doing so much environmental damage? You're not alone. Many homeowners these days are seeking greener heating alternatives, and thankfully, there are a number of options to choose from. Here's a look.
Pellet Stoves
Pellet stoves are essentially a modern, innovative upgrade of the standard wood stove. Instead of burning whole logs, they burn small wooden pellets. The reason why this is such a green choice is that the wood pellets are made from waste products, like tree bark and the shavings left behind after furniture manufacturing. Plus, wood is a renewable resource (more trees can be grown) unlike natural gas and propane, which are limited resources.
Pellet stoves can heat a whole, average-sized home because they can be integrated with ducts to circulate warmed air throughout the home. The major challenge homeowners have with this type of system is that the pellet chamber needs to be manually refilled every day or two. If you travel a lot, this won't be a great choice for you.
Geothermal Heating
Geothermal heating runs entirely on electricity; no fuel is burned. The system just circulates water through pipes that run beneath the ground. The water collects heat from the soil beneath the ground and transfers that heat to the air in your home. Geothermal heating is very affordable, but it may not work well if your soil is not stable or is too rocky for your HVAC team to properly install the pipes. If you have a very large home, you may need some sort of backup heater for the coldest days.
Solar Heaters
Solar heaters capture energy from the sun's rays and use it to warm air that is circulated around your home. They're a good choice if you live in a mild climate where you only need to heat your home slightly. For example, if the outdoor temperature drops to around 55 and you want to heat your home to 65, a solar heater can handle it. You won't have good luck with a solar heater in a very cold climate because when it's 10 or 20 outside and you need the heat the most, the sun is not typically shining. However, some homeowners combine a solar heater with another backup method, like a natural gas furnace, to reduce their carbon footprint in a colder area.
Talk to an HVAC contractor to learn more about these heating options and to discover which is best for you.
For more information, you will want to contact a company such as Total Comfort Heating & Air Condition.
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