Heating Feature - Hot water????? (Lebanon, Hanover: real estate, new home, water heater)

[jena]

Hi all and Happy Thanksgiving,

Can anyone please explain to me what is meant by Heating Feature being Hot water? My husband is now working in North Sutton and have been looking for homes in Hanover, Henniker and Lebanon. There are a few new homes going up that I have seen online but I just don't understand what is meant by this?

Thank you,
Jena

[Yankeehombre]

Hi Heating by hot water is an almost uniquely New England thing, although it is used in England + throughout Europe for similar reasons. (euopean systems use higher pressures + smaller diameter piping)
Initially most buildings were heated by coal + steam boiler (cast iron radiators + associated piping). As coal became less + less in vogue for a heating fuel, oil was an obvious coice as its replacement because it was not necessary to manually feed the fuel to the new oil boiler. Since these buildindgs were already outfitted with cast iron pipe + radiators as a means of distribution, simply replacing a coal burning furnace with an oil burning one required only adding a fuel tank and repiping to the new boiler, rather than any extensive internal renovation to buildings for the purpose of adding ductwork to distribute hot air throughout the building.
Also this system typically provides domestic hot water via an extra coil within the boiler, thereby eliminating the need for a seperate hot water heater, and potentially another fuel bill. (propane gas) Many older buildings have had the radiators replaced with more efficient baseboard distribution systems, usually incorporating the same cast Iron piping that supplied the steam heat system.
Even in newer buildings the oil-boiler/ baseboard heating schemes are still the most popular, since local contractors are more familiar with those (now highly efficient)systems.

[Earthangel1776]

Forced hot water and forced hot air (FHW ad FHA in Real Estate lingo) are the two main types of heat around here... I've lived with both types, and just moved to a house with hot air once again after many years with steam radiators. Now I remember why I hate hot air heat! I miss the constant warmth that comes from hot water/steam heat. The radiators or baseboard heaters take longer to warm up, but once they do, the heat is consistent and comfortable. Forced hot air heat to me is just not cozy. It heats up fast, gets oppressively hot, then gets cold and drafty when it shuts off between cycles. So all day you're hot, then chilly, then hot again. If you put on a sweater, be prepared to take it off soon as the furnace fires up again! It is also very drying and causes a lot of dust. Hot air heat is best if supplemented with a radiant heat source as well, like a wood-fired or gas heater (and a humidifier!).