Heating systems provide warmth for buildings, animals, and plants. Ancient homes used a hearth and animal body heat, while the Romans developed the hypocaust and Germans used hot stoves. Modern homes use central heating systems with radiators or accumulators, and storage heaters save energy. Gas or electricity heats water in a radiator system, while direct heating can use a coil with or without a fan. HVAC systems can include lighting controls.
A heating system keeps a building warm when it’s cold outside. They are also used to provide artificial heat for storage or to create artificial climate for animals and plants. They are used for homes, offices, factories and warehouses. The term heating system implies that there is more than one heat source or means of moving heat around the building.
Developing a heating system for any type of building is a new phenomenon for most areas of the world. In ancient times the houses were heated by a single fire called a hearth. Placed in the center of the house, it was also used for cooking. Any additional warmth was provided by thick clothing and good insulation. Archaeologists and historians believe the animals were brought indoors to provide extra body heat in the winter.
The first heating system was developed by the Romans. Called a hypocaust, the system involved circulating hot smoke under the floor so that the heat would naturally rise. The hypocaust operated by lifting the first floor off the ground and supporting it with stone columns. The Romans then emitted smoke from a furnace. The system was used both in private houses of wealth and in public baths such as that found at Chedworth Roman Villa in England.
Apart from the hypocaust, there was only one other heating system in Europe before the modern era. The German and Eastern European elite made use of Kachelofen, or hot stoves in English. They captured heat from a furnace and released it into a room.
Most modern homes in temperate zones, where there are distinct winters, use central heating systems. This is an organized system of radiators or accumulators designed to heat the entire building. Such systems are often combined with insulation features such as double glazing, double masonry, cavity wall and loft insulation.
Radiators put out a constant amount of heat depending on the heat level they are set to. Some radiators can be set on timers to save energy. They offer an almost immediate source of heat to a home, but can be expensive when used during peak hours. Peak times for electricity, gas and water are during the day.
Storage heaters work by storing electrical heat during off-peak hours, then releasing the heat at specified times during the following day. This saves costs and is better for the environment than gas and other heaters. The main drawback is that they don’t offer an immediate heat source.
Gas or electricity is used to heat water in a radiator heating system. The water is heated in a central boiler, usually upstairs in a vented closet or loft. The hot water is then pumped around a closed system of pipes which allows the radiators to give off heat.
As an alternative to a water pipe system, a heating system can apply gas or electricity directly to the heater. These give off heat by heating up a coil. Some will simply emit heat passively from the coil while others employ a fan to blow heat around the room.
Fan heaters are often one of the functions of an air conditioner (AC). The AC method of heating a room is popular in countries like Japan, which have no central heating systems or insulation despite the cold winters. An advanced form of an AC heating system is heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), and it can also include computerized controls for lighting.
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