Home heating furnaces and alternative home heating systems to reduce energy costs

Energy efficiency is a concern to practically every consumer because of the constant increase in furnace fuel and energy costs. Home heating furnaces and air conditioning units can be used more efficiently in many ways. Besides the many options for improving the heat efficiency of your home furnace, you should also check out the alternative heating methods available online.

Proper insulation and weather stripping makes a considerable difference to your heating costs for furnaces. By having adequate insulation in your attic, walls and crawl space you can reduce heat loss up to 40%. All doors and windows should properly seal when closed by using weather stripping. Older style windows were single pane glass whereas newer ones are double paned. If you cannot afford to replace old windows consider adding an inner window 3 to 4 inches inside the existing ones or even using plastic during the colder seasons.

A programmable thermostat can save you energy costs since your furnace system or air conditioning unit may be running at times that are not required. While you are sleeping it is recommended to lower the house temperature and have furnaces turn on about an hour before you get up.

Your home heating system will be a gas or oil furnace, an electric furnace system that uses heating strips or elements, baseboard heaters mounted to the lower walls of each room, or electric radiant elements installed in floors or ceilings. Some homes still have wood or coal furnaces but they are only as efficient as the products they burn being available.

Basically all of these home heating systems are controlled by thermostats. You set the thermostat to the required temperature and when the room gets to the desired temperature the furnace shuts off. Once the temperature drops below the desired temperature the system kicks in again.

Alternative heating systems are being experimented on to produce systems that do not require gas, oil or electricity because of their increasing costs. Hydronic heating systems are a type of radiant heat that forces water through tubing under the floor or through units similar to baseboard heaters. This system can also be installed in ceilings.

Biomass is another alternative system that creates electricity and fuel from stored solar energy. The clean-burning, environmentally sensitive Biomass stove burns organic materials, waste materials, biomass, corn and pellets. The heat is created by compressing air and driving it into burning pots that burn the materials, giving off a higher temperature and more efficient burn and yielding more energy from the fuel it burns.

Alternative solar powered products are more common for simple power such as outdoor lighting And charging systems however, there are systems that produce enough energy for heating pools, hot tubs and hot water for the house. Anytime you are using solar power you are reducing the gas and electric costs in your home, either a little savings or a considerable amount. Either way, the savings will add up.

You can find plenty of valuable information about energy alternatives online. Besides the savings you get on heating systems you can also save on any plumbing supplies online, vinyl house paint, indoor lighting fixtures, discount electrical supplies and cellulose insulation products. Anything you purchase online is direct form the manufacturer and therefore comes with the best discount price on the market.

Also see: Heating Systems

Author Notes:

Daryl Marples contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.beautiful-home-101.com.  Since I come from a large family I have seen many different ideas and homes created and built. I wish to pass on the value of building that I have learned from many years in the construction trade.