This is a question on everyone’s lips. What is the best way to heat your house in the winter? and how to keep it cool in the summer? You might ask friends or family how they heat/cool their houses to get an idea of the best way to heat/cool your house. Let’s go through all the options of how to do it.
Air Conditioning Units
The Units distribute the conditioned air around either the room or a car with a fan. Willis Carter, in 1902, invented the modern electrical air conditioning unit. These units have pros and cons, like everything does.
Advantages:
- The units are long-lasting, which is great.
- Low maintenance, what more could a person ask for than to be able to put a unit on the wall and not have to worry about it.
- Relatively, inexpensive
Disadvantages:
- Air conditioners can be a breeding ground for the growth of bacteria and fungus. Moisture can accumulate in the coils and fan blades from condensation that forms when cold air circulates through the appliance. If left unchecked, things like mold and fungus can build up and get blown out into the air.
- Yes, they may have low maintenance but they do need to be cleaned once in a while.
Underfloor Heating
Advantages:
- It’s comfy, nothing quite like walking on warm floors
- It distributes heat evenly.
- The heating is hidden, there is no big bulky box on the wall or outside the house, so it doesn’t ruin your decor
- It can be installed underneath stone, tile, wood and carpeted floors.
Disadvantages:
- It can be very expensive to install.
- It can take a long time to warm up, timers might be an idea to help warm up the floor before you enter the room
- It can’t be used under some furniture and fittings, which might restrict the way you layout your furniture.
Fireplaces
People are in love with fireplaces, there’s nothing like the nice feel of a warm fire, they are nice and cozy. They come in different shapes and sizes. They can be fueled by gas, wood or electricity. Each fuel has its own pros and cons.
Advantages:
- Gas fireplaces warm up the room instantly.
- With gas or wood, you don’t have to worry about a power outage
Disadvantages:
- Fireplaces can be costly
- With fireplaces you need to be careful, fire can be dangerous
Radiators
Most of us have grown up with radiators in our homes. We know how they work, the different styles and sizes they come in, the perfect hanging position to dry our cardigan on them… but are they the most efficient way to heat a home these days?
Advantages:
- They are quick to respond to desire changes of heat
- In 20-30 minutes they can heat a room up, that’s pretty fast
- Radiators come in gorgeous designs these days. From traditional ornate looks to sleek minimalist designs, radiators are flexible in fitting your room’s interior. They aren’t just ‘hunks of metal you need to hide behind your sofa’. They can tie a room together!
Disadvantages:
- Heat from a radiator isn’t evenly distributed throughout the room. The area around the radiator unit will always heat up first and be warmer than the other side of your room.
- They can build up dust
- It is said that radiators leave a bigger carbon foot print than underfloor heating and aren’t as efficient energy wise.
Curtains:
- Opening up the curtains to let in the sun heat. The Sun is the biggest ball of energy let it warm up your room.
- Closing them at night will give the room a little more installation to keep in the heat.
