Forced Hot Air Heating

Advantages and disadvantages to forced hot air heating systems:

Advantages – Fueled by either gas or oil, a Forced Hot Air (FHA) system is a fairly simple design, thus the most affordable and versatile. An element within the furnace unit is heated or cooled, then air is blown through this thermostatically controlled device and distributed throughout the home using duct work.

Forced hot air systems are the favorite choice for builders in New Hampshire because they are dual purpose heating systems that can distribute either heated air or cooled air from a central air conditioning unit.

Disadvantages – Forced Hot Air systems draw in a heavy volume of air from return vents located in several places in the house, as well as the basement. Because of this, furnace maintenance services are necessary. Filters must be changed frequently to prevent dust and allergens from circulating through the entire house. Semi-annual duct cleaning is also needed to vacuum out the duct work in the house to remove heavy dust, animal hair, and treat any mold that may have started to grow.

FHA systems also can be noisy, and not particularly efficient, as much heat is lost through warming the duct work itself. These systems also tend to make the air very dry. Consider a system that has a humidifier built into it.