Philadelphia Heating System Options

For homes in Philadelphia, heating systems are a must have item. During the winter (and often in the Spring and Fall, too), the great state of Pennsylvania gets downright frigid; a heating system in these conditions needs to function smoothly and constantly just to keep a living space habitable.

Common Philadelphia Heating Systems
In a city with lots of older architecture, like Philadelphia, heating systems using hot water or steam radiators are very common, and well suited to the area. Hot water and steam heat is quite desirable because it is energy efficient (especially considering how old the technology and fixtures often are). This kind of heat, unlike that of forced-air systems, contains a certain level of moisture that most people find appealing. Philadelphians, who have to keep the heat on for many months out of the year, can certainly appreciate these qualities.

In the suburbs, where many of the homes are much newer, forced-air heating systems are much more common. Often chosen for their lower installation price, these systems provide a very dry heat that some people don't like.

Philadelphia Heating System Upgrades
The closer you get to Center City, the more likely it is that your heating system has already had, or could truly use, an upgrade. Boilers and furnaces that are a few decades old can easily have efficiency levels of 70% or less, while many new models boast up to 97% efficiency. Since it has to run for so long, a heating system in Philadelphia that has been upgraded with a new boiler or furnace can quickly reduce your yearly heating costs by hundreds of dollars. Over the lifetime of the unit, it is very possible that it could pay for itself.

Percentage wise, more Philadelphians own their homes than in most other cities. This means that a higher percentage of Philadelphians will personally benefit from a major home improvement such as replacing a furnace or boiler. Make no mistake, this is a big investment. To install or replace just the main unit in your heating system, Philadelphia prices start in the $3,000, but can get as high as $9,000 in some cases. Granted, it will take a lot of winters for a new boiler to recoup nine grand, but if there's one thing Philly's got, it's winters (and lots of them).

Philadelphia Heating System Service
For those of us that don't have a spare few thousand dollars just collecting dust, giving your existing heating system a healthy dose of attention can also lower bills and provide more efficient heat without the big price tag.

A basic system check-up won't cost too much (generally, one or two hundred bucks for a well maintained system), and should ideally be done once a year. To really make a difference, however, you might want to have your chimney, ductwork, and other system components examined, and possibly serviced, as well.

Philadelphians and other North-easterners would be wise to have this sort of work done in the summer months when it won't matter if the heat is working or not. Even if you notice a problem during the winter, it can be easy to forget about it once the air gets warm; a little planning and a few hundred bucks, however, can make a big difference when the snow starts flying again.