Central heating
A system that provides warmth to multiple spaces from one main heat source.
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A central heating system provides warmth to a number of spaces within a building from one main source of heat. This system relies on a furnace that converts fuel or electricity into heat. The generated heat is then distributed throughout the building using one of several methods: fans forcing heated air through ducts, the circulation of low-pressure steam to radiators, or pumps moving hot water through room radiators.
Energy sources
Common energy sources include coal, wood, oil, kerosene, natural gas, or electricity. Compared to fireplaces or wood stoves, central heating offers more uniform temperature control across a building, often with automatic furnace regulation. Large buildings can be divided into individually controlled zones.
Automatic fuel handling, and sometimes ash removal, adds convenience. If ductwork is present, central air conditioning can be integrated. However, the system requires significant space and ductwork is typically installed during construction.
Overview
Central heating differs from space heating because heat is generated in a single location, such as a basement or mechanical room, and then distributed. The most common heat generation method is burning fossil fuel in a furnace or boiler. In temperate climates, most detached houses have had central heating since before the Second World War. Where coal was readily available, coal-fired steam or hot water systems were common, later updated to burn oil or gas, eliminating the need for coal storage and ash removal.
Forced hot air is a cheaper alternative, using a furnace to heat air in a heat exchanger, with blowers circulating it through ducts. This avoids the need for a pipe fitter, and space between floor joists can be used as ductwork. Electrical heating is less common and practical only with low-cost electricity or ground source heat pumps.
Some buildings use central solar heating, typically with water circulation. Alternatives include gas heaters and district heating, which uses waste heat from industrial processes or power plants, distributed via underground pipes. Historically, ancient Greeks developed central heating, using flues in the ground at the temple of Ephesus to circulate heat from a fire. In ancient Korea, the ondol system used a firebox connected to horizontal smoke passages under a raised masonry floor, with a chimney providing draft.
Quick Facts
- Earliest known use
- circa 4th century BC (Iron Age Korea)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The ancient Greeks originally developed central heating. The temple of Ephesus was heated by flues planted in the ground and circulating the heat which was generated by fire. Some buildings in the Roman Empire used central heating systems, conducting air heated by furnaces through empty spaces under the floors and out of pipes in the walls—a system known as a hypocaust. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, heating reverted to more primitive fireplaces for almost a thousand years.
In the early medieval Alpine upland, a simpler central heating system where heat travelled through underfloor channels from the furnace room replaced the Roman hypocaust at some places. In the 13th century, the Cistercian monks revived central heating in Christian Europe using river diversions combined with indoor wood-fired furnaces. Modern central heating systems were developed in the late 18th to mid-19th centuries, with hot air systems pioneered by William Strutt and Charles Sylvester, and steam heating advanced by Thomas Tredgold.
Reader's Guide
A central heating system has a furnace that converts fuel or electricity to heat. The heat is circulated through the building either by fans forcing heated air through ducts, circulation of low-pressure steam to radiators, or pumps that circulate hot water through room radiators. Primary energy sources may be fuels like coal or wood, oil, kerosene, natural gas, or electricity.
Compared with fireplaces and wood stoves, central heating offers improved uniformity of temperature control, automatic control, and automatic fuel handling. Large homes may be divided into individually controllable zones. Where ducts are used, central air conditioning can be added. A cheaper alternative to hot water or steam heat is forced hot air, which uses a furnace to heat air in a heat exchanger and blower fans to circulate it through ducts.
Electrical heating systems occur less commonly and are practical only with low-cost electricity or ground source heat pumps. Some buildings utilize central solar heating with water circulation. Alternatives include gas heaters and district heating, which uses waste heat from industrial processes or electrical generating plants.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Central heating?
Central heating is a building-wide warmth system that generates heat at a single point—such as a furnace or boiler—and sends that warmth to every room through ducts, hot-water pipes, or steam lines. Unlike individual space heaters, it treats the entire structure as one connected thermal circuit.
What is Central heating known for?
Its core function is to take heat produced in one location and distribute it across multiple rooms or floors, keeping the whole building at a consistent temperature. Modern setups typically use forced warm air, circulating hot water through radiators, or steam pipes to deliver that comfort.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Central heating (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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