Central Indoor Gas Heaters
Gas is the most common heating fuel for central-heating gas systems, and for good reason! It is efficient (modern gas heaters approach 100% efficiency!), economical, and effective.
Central air heating systems differ from ‘local’ indoor space heaters in that instead of the heat being generated in the place it is desired, it is generated in one central location within the building. In your home, this is generally going to be the furnace in your basement. Air heated in the furnace is then blown through a series of ducts to all of the rooms in the house to be heated. In the simplest case this results in all rooms in your home being delivered the same amount of heat, though in more complicated (and expensive) systems the home can be divided into zones and the amount of heat delivered to each zone can be independently controlled.
Though central gas furnaces can be incredibly efficient in their own right, sometimes this isn’t the most efficent heating method available. For example, if you’re entire family is in the den watching movies for the whole night, it might make a lot more sense to use space heater rather than “efficiently” heat your whole home.
That said, though, central heating is often the way to go since you will have different people throughout the house and keeping the entire living space at a more constant temperature is easier as well as more comfortable. With central heat you don’t need to worry about putting on extra clothing when you leave the warm comfortable room or dragging that space heater into the next room with you.
Obviously, though, the infrastructure required for central heating is quite signficant and most homes will have it installed at the time of construction, though certainly if the duct work exists adding a furnace to your home is something that any heating contractor would be able to handle.
If you already have a gas furnace and find that your heating bills are expensive you should consider upgrading to a more efficient model. Newer furances can provide a lot more heat while burning a lot less fuel. Tax credits are available to soften the immediate blow of the new purchase and in the long run you can definitely see huge savings. Not to mention you get the fuzzy feeling of knowing you are contributing to less global warming.
The Wonderful World of Gas Heaters
Gas heaters have been an efficient and important method of providing warmth for over 150 years. They operate by burning a mixture of air and either natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas (propane). They come in all manner of sizes and uses. They are often used as an indoor heating solution but they are also the most popular form of heater for outdoor use. They can be portable or part of a permanent installation.
Because of this versatility, gas heaters are ubiquitous. Even in warmer climes where heaters might not generally be needed and full home heating might be seen as excessive , they may be kept to help in those relatively few times times when the temperature dips and some local room heating is desired.
Certainly where the cold is more of a way of life they play a larger role. They can be used as both a primary source of heat or to supplement existing heating methods. Or even both! Growing up my family had central gas heat to warm the entire house. This wasn’t always efficient, though, since often we were all in a single room. So we had a smaller room gas heater we would use as well.
Now my home has electric heat. With the high costs of electricity I installed a gas heater in an old fireplace. Not only is my apartment warmer but my energy bills have gone down!
Outdoors you have seen restaurants or cafes use various sorts of gas heaters to warm patrons enjoying their patios or sidewalk seating. Maybe you’ve basked in the warm glow of one of thse devices (I fondly call them ’suns’) and thought you might want one of your own so you can sit in your own backyard and pretend it is a balmy summer evening even when it is really sweater weather. You’re in the right place!
In this blog I will be discussing in more detail all the different sorts of gas heaters available and what considerastions should be taken when in the market to purchase one. In different articles I will discuss what you need to know about indoor and outdoor use and the various attendent safety concerns. Stay tuned!