Home Central Heating

Central heating is “a heating system in which air or water is heated at a central furnace and sent through the building via pipes, vents and radiators” (Online Dictionary); the heat generation occurs in one place.  The most regular means of heat generation entails the combustion of fossil fuels in a furnace or boiler.  The consequential heat is then distributed by water or steam moving through pipes. One central heating unit is used to warm an entire house or just several rooms.

Home central heating is often used in cold climates.  In most of Northern Europe and parts of Russia many new homes are now built with central heating instead of the normal district heating or oil-fired systems.  Electrical heating systems are less common as they are only practical with low cost electricity.

Thomas Fowler invented the first successful central heating system called the ‘Thermosiphon’ in 1828 using warm air.  Before this hot water was used to a limited extent in Britain.  The earliest steam heating system was installed in the governor of the Bank of England’s home to enable him to grow grapes in the cold climate; and Fowler’s design was later to become the modern day central heating system.