When it comes to home heating systems, homeowners hear a lot about furnaces. At New Berlin Heating & Air Conditioning, we know that’s not the only option for warmth—for those without ductwork, boilers are the preferred option. These systems are every bit as capable of maintaining your home comfort as furnaces. But what’s the difference between the two? Is one better or more cost-efficient than the other? Our experts break down what every homeowner should know about boilers.

How Do Boilers Work?

Rather than creating warm air and circulating it through your home like a furnace, boilers use water to create heat. When you set your desired temperature, a boiler uses gas, oil, or electricity to heat water to that temp. That water then travels through your house using a series of pipes, where the heat is released through radiators.

How Do Boilers Connect to Radiant In-Floor Heating?

Boilers also power radiant in-floor heating. In this system, flexible tubing is installed underneath your floors. Boilers heat the water and circulate it through that tubing for warmth, which radiates upward through your house.

What Are the Benefits of a Boiler?

  • Even, comfortable heat. Boilers cut down on chilly drafts and cold spots in your home, especially when combined with a radiant in-floor system. The heat these systems produce stays near the floor, rather than rising quickly to the top of the room and cooling off like heat from a forced-air system.
  • Better indoor air quality. Furnaces blow more than just air through your home—they also spread dust and allergens. Because boilers use water instead of air for heat, those particulates don’t spread as easily, creating healthier indoor air. A boiler also won’t dry out your air like a furnace might, cutting down on problems associated with low home humidity.
  • Quiet, efficient heating. While a boiler is more expensive to install than a furnace, it actually costs less to operate over the long term because water transfers heat much more efficiently than air. And because boilers have fewer moving parts than a furnace, they operate much more quietly.
  • Easy maintenance. Without air filters or the more complicated bells and whistles of a furnace, a boiler doesn’t require complicated maintenance. However, we still recommend scheduling annual service for your system—it helps make sure the system is clean, efficient, and problem-free (and could prevent future repairs).

New Berlin Heating—Your Boiler Experts in Southeastern Wisconsin

Where other heating and cooling providers are scaling back boiler services, New Berlin Heating embraces it. If you’re in the market to buy a new boiler system or have your current one repaired, call us today at 262-784-8889—we’re well trained and familiar with all the newest options thanks to our ongoing and extensive training and testing processes in our onsite HVAC training lab.