Today’s high-efficiency oil boilers and super-efficient oil furnaces can provide your Maine home with a wonderful opportunity to increase your comfort while decreasing your energy bills. New systems use significantly less energy compared to older-generation equipment to heat the same size home. This is because today’s energy-efficient equipment is now configured to consume only as much fuel as it requires to heat your home or a specific part of your home. And the fuel you’re using is so much cleaner than it’s ever been!
The latest oil heating equipment takes up far less space in your home than systems of the past. In fact, today’s average boilers and furnaces are comparable in size to a three-drawer file cabinet.
Also known as warm-air or forced-air systems, a furnace produces heated air in the combustion chamber, which a blower fan pushes through your home’s ductwork.
Today’s furnaces include variable speed capabilities, durable heat exchangers, microprocessor-based controls and high-pressure flame-retention burners designed to drastically improve efficiency while keeping your home warm and comfortable. Their variable-speed motors use far less electricity than earlier models.
Having a furnace offers several advantages. In addition to providing heat, the ductwork that connects with your furnace can also work with a whole-house humidifier, an air cleaning system (air purifier) or your home’s central air conditioning system.
While furnaces generate heated air, boilers transfer water or steam heat to warm your home. This “moist” heat is sent through baseboards, radiators, in-floor radiant tubing or other sealed hydronic devices in your home.
Boilers run quietly and provide comfortable warmth. Because they don’t use fans or blowers, they don’t contribute to the blowing of dust, dirt or allergens in the air.
With a heating oil boiler system, water travels through the combustion chamber. From there, a circulator pumps the hot water through your home’s pipes to heat radiators or baseboards. The water returns to the boiler and these steps repeat. If the water level drops too low, the boiler will shut down, thanks to its low-water cutoff. This prevents the system from getting damaged.
You can connect the boiler in your Maine home to an indirect-fired oil water heater, which heats the water in your water heater’s storage tank with the water that’s heated by your oil boiler. (It’s important to note that this water does not actually come into contact with the water in the storage tank.) This approach is speedy and you’ll see savings that really make a difference.
Your local heating oil company can work with you to design a new heating system that fits your Maine home and your budget. Find out about rebates through the Maine Energy Marketers Association.