Heating Systems: Choose Carefully for Your New Home or Renovations

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Choosing heating systems for a new or existing home is always easier when you know more about the best kinds for our climate, which include gas-powered systems and heat pumps that rely on electricity to move three times and more of heat energy into your home per unit of energy they use.

  • Combustion furnaces – Forced-air gas furnaces are by far the most prevalent type of heating equipment in our region. They’re capable of warming homes regardless of the outdoor temperatures. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is changing the minimum efficiency rating for new gas furnaces to 80 AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) as of January 1, 2015 — up from 78 AFUE, the current standard.An 80 AFUE indicates the system uses 80 percent of the fuel it consumes directly for heating. Systems are available with AFUE ratings that approach 98 percent, and in a climate like ours where heating demands are relatively high, these systems makes financial sense.
  • Radiant heating systems – The heat source for radiant systems often use natural gas or propane and offer silent, steady and even heating. They use tubing in the floors or walls that radiate heat outward, instead of blowing heated air through ductwork. These systems work well for new construction, as well as retrofits for existing homes.
  • Heat pumps – With careful installation, a heat pump will both efficiently cool and heat homes in this region, especially if it has a high HSPF (heating season performance factor). Heat pumps move heat from the outdoors in the winter and reverse the process in the summer.A geothermal heat pump is by far the most energy efficient HVAC system to condition your home year-round, although air-source heat pumps are easier and less expensive to install. For best performance from these appliances, your home should be as airtight and well insulated as possible, and the HVAC contractor needs to do a detailed load calculation using Manual J software.

It’s essential when choosing heating systems to work with a top-notch HVAC contractor like Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We’ve provided HVAC services for Cincinnati homeowners since 1910.

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"Ernie & Mike did a superb job on my new furnace and A/C installation. Despite having more than a day’s work to do, they came in and stayed until the job was done. They were organized, efficient, and protected the rest of the house well. Got both furnace and A/C installed the same day. Ernie was courteous, informative, and clearly knew his job better than anyone I’ve encountered before. The units look so good guests now get The Tour of our new system. Apollo is clearly not a fly-by-night company. I would recommend them to anyone in need of a new furnace and/or A/C."
- Jerry A.
"I called Apollo because of a water leak I thought I had in our upstairs shower going into the kitchen. Robbie came and assured me everything was fine & looked at all the other plumbing. He ended up changing a few pipes for our washer & clearing a drain. He was very nice & knowledgeable with all my questions. I ended up signing up for the care plan & was very happy with my service."
- Cassandra B.
"The team at Apollo exceeded my expectations. As a business owner, my attention to the details and commitment to providing excellent service is high. From the sales rep. to the installation team, everyone’s performance was outstanding. For example, the installation team went to great lengths to protect our floors, placing floor runners and across the wood floors and up the stairs. They even were spot washing walls upon their departure. I highly recommend this company."
- Randy B.
"We scheduled an estimate AND a tune-up. We knew something was wrong with our furnace, but hoped we could make it through the rest of the season. Upon telling Bill what our furnace was doing, he warned us immediately what the possible outcome was going to be; a cracked heat exchanger. He watched the flames roll backward, tested carbon monoxide levels, which were so high they meter’s last reading was 5,600 before saying “high”. He immediately shut it down, tagged it, and explained that with levels that high and children in our home he wanted off right away. He continued his inspection and showed us via a camera that not only was it cracked in multiple places, but had holes all over it. He gave us a few options for repairing it; his knowledge as well as genuine concern was beneficial and refreshing. Luckily we also scheduled an estimator, Micah, to come too and we were able to get costs between repairing and replacing (with several options). We decided to replace with a much higher efficiency furnace and one sized properly to our home. Hands down, not only did they both provide us great service and knowledge, but without sounding dramatic, they may have saved our lives. This was our first time calling Apollo, but it won’t be our last."
- Sarah B.
"Apollo is an excellent company. I always receive great service. Alex A. was professional and friendly. He kept me informed during the process of checking my furnace and heat pump to make sure they were working properly. The company makes sure you are notified who is coming and when they are on the way. All my interactions with the company have been wonderful."
- Beverly S.
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