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Home Heating

A variety of technologies are available for heating your house. In addition to furnaces and boilers, heating options include wood and pellet heaters, active solar heating, and heat pumps, which are used for both heating and cooling. In addition, a combination of proper insulation, air sealing, and energy-efficient windows and doors will help ensure that your home is both comfortable and energy efficient.

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Heat Distribution Systems
Radiators are used in steam and hot water heating. | Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto/Jot

Does your home have an efficient system for distributing heat? Learn about different distribution systems.

Active Solar Heating
This North Carolina home gets most of its space heating from the passive solar design, but the solar thermal system supplies both domestic hot water and a secondary radiant floor heating system. | Photo courtesy of Jim Schmid Photography, NREL

Live in a cold climate, but get lots of sun? Active solar heating may be the most efficient option for heating your home.

Electric Resistance Heating
Baseboard heaters are one type of electric resistance heaters. | Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto/drewhadley

Electric resistance heating can be expensive to operate, but may be appropriate if you heat a room infrequently or if it would be expensive to extend the existing heating system to an addition.

Radiant Heating
In-wall radiant heating in a house under construction near Denver. | Photo courtesy of Warren Gretz, NREL.

Say goodbye to cold floors in winter. Radiant heating can be a comfortable and efficient heating choice.

Portable Heaters
Portable heaters can be an efficient way to supplement inadequate heating. | Photo courtesy iStockphoto.com

Looking for an inexpensive way to heat a room? Portable heaters are useful for supplemental or occasional heating, but must be installed and operated properly to avoid fire and burn hazards.

Heat Pump Systems
A heat pump can provide an alternative to using your air conditioner. | Photo courtesy of iStockPhoto/LordRunar.

Live in a mild climate? A heat pump might be your best option for efficient heating and cooling.

Living Comfortably: A Consumer’s Guide to Home Energy Upgrades
A weatherization worker drills holes to blow cellulose insulation in the interior walls of this home. | Photo courtesy of Dennis Schroeder, NREL

A four-step guide to making your home more comfortable, energy efficient and healthy.

Resolve to Save Energy This Year
Looking for ways to save energy? Check out these tips that every homeowner should try. | Infographic by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department. Updated January 2, 2014.

Instead of making a New Year's resolution, this year make a home energy efficiency resolution. For the second year in a row, we are sharing our top 8 tips to save energy and money at home.