Tips for Choosing an Alternative Home Heating System

More and more homeowners are becoming sensitive to the issue of global warming. There are many factors that contribute to global warming, and one of these factors, is home heating. Home heating is a need, especially for homes in colder countries. The harsh cold winter can be unbearable at times, and a proper home heating system keeps the family warm.

But the problem with conventional home heating systems is that they are powered by oil. In other words, the heat that is produced to warm up the homes is generated by burning oil. This poses two problems. First, burning of oil leads to air pollution, which contributes to global warming. Secondly, oil is not a renewable energy source. And the leaders of our world are well aware of this fact. So we are constantly on the look out for alternative home heating systems - systems that use renewable energy sources instead of oil.

Fortunately, with the evolution of technology, the future looks bright. There are already heating systems available in the market that use renewable energy sources. Here are some examples.

Solar heating systems.

The sun offers an infinite energy source. And it is exciting to see how heating systems harness the heat energy of the sun to heat up our homes. The concept is a simple one. Firstly, there must be a way for the homes to collect heat energy from the sun. Any materials that can trap heat will be able to fill this role. Then there must be some way that the heat energy can be stored and then transferred to other parts of the house. In reality, two types of solar heating systems are used - passive and active systems.

Passive systems make use of thermal masses to collect heat from the sun. Thermal masses can be in the form of tiles or water. The heat energy is then stored in the floor or in the walls. As a passive heating system depends on the source of sunlight, the thermal masses have to be placed strategically to be exposed to as much sunlight as possible (e.g. facing South). This type of system uses the least energy.

Active systems, unlike passive systems, do make use of electricity. In other words, they don't just passively sit around to wait for the sun to hit them. Instead, they are actively collecting heat energy from the sun using solar panels, exchanges, and storing the heat in storage tanks. Compared to passive heating systems, an active heating system is more reliable. However, it consumes more energy as it relies on electricity to power the energy collection process.

Geothermal heating system.

Geothermal heating system is another example of a heating system that relies on renewable energy sources. The heat is actually collected from the ground, and then transfered to the house in pipes. This process can be repeated again and again for as long as there is a need. In this way, there is no need for the use of oil, and the environment is not harmed.