Today’s oil boilers and oil furnaces offer homeowners a great opportunity to increase their comfort while decreasing their energy usage. New systems now heat your home using significantly less energy compared to older generation equipment. Energy-efficient equipment can be installed with controls to use only as much fuel as needed to heat your home or a specific part of your home.
If you have a hot water (hydronic) system, water circulates around your boiler’s combustion chamber. A circulator pumps the hot water through pipes to heat baseboards or radiators. Eventually, the water returns to the unit to begin the cycle again.
Steam boiler systems work similarly except they generate steam, which rises up to radiators (no circulators are needed). A low water cut-off shuts down the boiler if water levels drop too low, preventing boiler damage.
With a boiler, you can cut your water heating costs and have as much hot water as you want by installing an indirect-fired oil water heater.
An indirect-fired water heater uses the water heated by your oil boiler to heat the water in your water heater’s storage tank. (The boiler-heated water never comes in contact with the water in the tank). An indirect-fired water heater heats water super-fast and it saves you money!
The word “furnace” has become a generic term for heating systems. In reality, a furnace is the heating unit in a warm air system (sometimes called a forced air system). After air is heated in the furnace, a blower forces it into a duct system and it is released through vents or registers on floors, walls or ceilings.
Besides heat, the ductwork that connects with your furnace can provide other kinds of conditioned air. For example, you can:
If you want to take advantage of today’s energy-efficient oilheating systems, your local heating oil company can work with you to design a new heating system that fits your Massachusetts home and your budget. Contact your local company to get an estimate on the cost to replace your boiler or furnace.