How Americans Heat Their Homes Today

Just how do most Americans heat their homes? People in the market for a new heating system may want to explore home heating alternatives. While there are some new, eco-friendly home heating products on the market, the vast majority of people in the United States rely upon a few pretty traditional methods and fuels for heating. That could change as more people decide they spend too muchfor fuel and heating repair in Cleveland, so they decide to upgrade to more modern systems.

The State of U.S. Home Heating Today

These are percentages of today's home heating systems from the U.S. Department of Energy:

Of course, there are many different types of fuel available for heating. For example, it's possible to use active solar heating systems in parts of the country that get cold but still get a lot of sunlight. This kind of system really hasn't become popular yet. Most Americans rely upon natural gas furnaces, and electric furnaces are second in popularity. Fuel oil, propane, and wood provide the majority of alternative heating in the country.

How to Make Any Heating System Work Better

The Department of Energy says that the most important thing is for homeowners to keep their systems in good repair. In addition, they need to consider their whole home as a heating system. This means that any kind of heating will work better if it is combined withproper insulation, sealing, and of course temperature control. Attic insulation, weather stripping, and even drapes can help keep houses insulated better. Improving insulation is usually a very cost-effective project because it can lower power bills and keep the heating system from having to work so hard.

Programmable thermostats can aid in temperature control because they can be designed to automatically adjust the temperature for different times of the day. For example, the thermostat can be set to automatically lower itself when everybody is away from home during the day, and then it can increase the temperature shortly before family members are scheduled to return home in the late afternoon.