Central heating systems burn fuel in a furnace and distribute the resulting heat through the house, either by blowing hot air through ducts or pumping hot water through pipes. Generally, temperature levels in the house are controlled by a thermostat, and the furnace is able to function for a long period of time without refueling - unlike stoves and furnaces that burn wood or coal.
The most commonly used central heating fuels are oil and propane gas, both of which are readily available almost everywhere in the United States. The relative costs of oil and natural gas vary according to the area of the country in which you live.
If you’re considering the purchase of an older house, talk to the owner about having the furnace
tuned and tested for efficiency. Some old units are only 40 percent efficient, as opposed to the 80 percent efficiency of some newer ones. Also, many old installations are oversize, putting out much more heat than the house requires (and even more than the same house would require if it were well insulated).
If you decide to install a new central heating system for which the house was not designed, it’s often cheaper to adapt to forced hot water than to hot air; the installer has to cut only small holes for pipes rather than large openings for ducts and grills. Most hot-water systems also use the furnace to heat domestic hot water. They’re not quite as efficient as a separate system in terms of operation, but using them saves the cost of another installation. Perhaps the major drawback to forced hot water is that if the furnace goes out in winter, replacing burst pipes is expensive.

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