Everyone wants to be cozy and warm during the winter. Coming home at the end of a long day to a warm house is one of life’s great joys. Unfortunately, for people with unheated homes, the joy of a cozy home is one seldomly experienced.
Heating your home during the winter is more than a matter of staying comfortable. Unheated homes can lead to health problems—from issues as benign as the common cold to dangers as severe as heart attacks.
If you plan to leave your home empty during the winter months, the importance of heat installation is paramount. An unheated vacant home can lead to problems like frozen pipes, humidity fluctuations, and water damage.
The Dangers of an Unheated Home
A home heating installation is one of the best investments a homeowner can make. Cold and dampness lead to a variety of issues, from health problems to structural damage to the house.
Health Issues
Cold and damp aren’t just uncomfortable—they are dangerous, particularly for very young and very old people.
Dangerous Temperatures
Below is a detail about how dangerous temperatures can affect the health of various people.
13C / 55F
Remaining below this temperature for extended periods can increase blood pressure and put people at risk of cardiovascular disease.
15C / 60F
Staying at this temperature for a significant period reduces your resistance to respiratory conditions and diseases.
Damp
It’s not just low temperatures that cause health issues. Damp can lead to condensation, which can lead to mold growth around your countertop and other spots. Mold can often go undetected for years, causing allergic reactions and asthmatic symptoms.
Long-term mold exposure can lead to the development of asthma and other respiratory problems. Some symptoms of mold exposure are itchy, red eyes, runny nose, coughing, sneezing fever, and shortness of breath.
Home Issues
Cold and damp can cause major structural damage to your home if left unchecked. These issues are most common in vacant homes, but they can occur in any home without heat installation.
Frozen Pipes
The greatest threat that cold poses to a home is damage to the plumbing. When the temperature inside a house drops, the water inside the pipes freezes and expands. If frozen pipes burst, the resulting water damage can be costly to repair. It also threatens the structural integrity of a home.
Flooding
Severe cases of pipe damage can lead to flooding, typically in the basement. Basement flooding causes a huge amount of structural damage to the home and destroys any possessions stored in the basement.
Flooding can also lead to drowning, particularly in homes where seniors and young children are living.
Damp
Even if you seal up your vacant home against the elements before you leave, the temperature of the house will drop to match the outside temperature eventually. At that point, the seal you’ve created will backfire, trapping any moisture that remains in the house.
The trapped moisture will cause the humidity level to rise in the home, eventually leading to condensation and mold growth. Ceilings, tiles, wood, paper, and fabric are particularly susceptible to mold growth.
Home Heating Installation Types
By now, it should be clear why a home heating installation is important. There are many different types of home heating, from furnaces and boilers to space heaters and cutting-edge technology like in-floor radiant heating.
How do you choose which type of home heating installation is right for you? Here is a breakdown of some of the most common options.
Furnace
A furnace installation is the most common type of heating installation in the United States. With a furnace installation, the air is heated by the furnace and then forced through air ducts into the house.
A furnace installation is a popular choice in the US because the air ducts can double as air conditioning ducts during the summer months. Furnaces can be powered by gas, electricity, propane, or oil. In the US, a furnace installation is typically powered by natural gas.
Boiler
Boilers are the second most common type of heat installation in the United States. A boiler functions similarly to a furnace, but instead of heating air, the boiler heats the water. The hot water is then pushed through pipes to the rest of the home.
A boiler makes it possible to practice zoned heating, which a furnace cannot do. However, a boiler is significantly more costly and difficult to install and run. Boilers are often referred to as “central heating” because they heat water in a central area and then distribute it around the home.
Radiant Heating
Radiant heating is a relatively new type of heat installation, and as such, is not found in many older homes in the US. Radiant heating works by sending hot water or electric heat through special tubes embedded in the floor or walls.
Radiant heating can be cost-effective and last a long time, but repairs can become costly if something goes wrong.
Space Heaters
The simplest way to heat a room in a home is by using a space heater. Space heaters are typically electric and heat the air immediately around them. As such, they have a limited range and can only heat one room at a time.
Space heaters are a good option for temporary heating in an occupied room. It is not recommended to use an electric space heater as a primary heating solution. Left unattended, a space heater can cause electrical fires.
Fireplaces and Stoves
Woodburning stoves can be incredibly cost-efficient, particularly in rural areas where access to wood is easy. Woodburning stoves are efficient at heating. They also add a great deal of charm to a room’s decor.
Fireplaces are the least efficient heating installation type because they pull a great deal of warm air out of the room in which they’re installed. This warm air is then replaced by cold air. Often, a fireplace can end up losing more heat than it creates.
Final Word
A furnace installation or other type of heating system transforms your home into a cozy winter dream home. A home heating installation also provides comfort and protection against the dangers of cold and dampness. Therefore, if you don’t already have a type of heating installation in your house, it may be time to consider buying one for your home.
