Heating and Heat Distribution

Gas forced air furnace systems

Forced air natural gas heating remains the most popular method of heating the majority of new homes in Manitoba.

Designed and installed properly, forced air gas heating remains one of the best choices for consumers to heat their new homes. It allows for easy interconnection with an HRV system, central air conditioning, and a central air filtration device.

As it is one of the most frequently installed heating systems, it is dealt with in significant detail later in this section.

Propane fired forced air furnace systems

Propane fired furnaces operate in almost every respect, similar to natural gas forced air furnace systems. They are popular in rural and northern Manitoba - in locations that are not serviced by natural gas in their communities.

Instead of having a main natural gas line running down your street and into your home, a propane storage tank is installed above grade on your property somewhere outside the house and is piped directly into the furnace. A local supply truck attends to the house to refill the tank as required.

Wood / electric forced air furnace systems

As the name implies, combination wood burning/electric forced air furnaces can use either wood or electricity as a fuel source for heat. These furnaces combine a conventional wood-burning firebox with electric resistance coils above. A fan moves air over the firebox to absorb heat and distribute it around the house through conventional air distribution ductwork. Filled full of wood, these furnaces can burn a number of hours without attention to provide adequate heat for the house. Once the fire burns down and is not able to prove adequate heat, the electric resistance coils turn on to supply heat for the system.

Depending on homeowner dedication to maintenance of the wood burning cycle, this heating system can significantly reduce consumption of electricity for heating the house and save money. The economic benefit analysis though depends on whether the wood is purchased or not, at what price the wood is purchased, the type of wood used and the value the homeowner places on their time and effort.

As most wood/electric furnaces are manufactured locally on a small-scale basis, none of the models seem to have been tested and rated for combustion efficiency. Their combustion efficiency process may be as low as 50%.

If a homeowner has to purchase wood at about $150 a cord, considering the heat content of various wood species, it is almost as costly to burn wood for heat as heating with electricity and therefore, makes little economic sense. If wood can be purchased at a lower cost or obtained for free and the homeowner enjoys the daily work entailed in burning wood, then this system is worth considering for your new house.