Buying a House with Warm Air Heating – Pros and Cons

Warm air heating is one of many features that can make or break a homebuyer’s decision. Here are a few things to know if you are viewing a property in the UK with warm air heating as its primary source of internal heating.

How warm air heating works

In short, warm air heating works by drawing air from the outside and warming it up by passing it through a heating system. There are different types of warm air heating including gas-fired heating, ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps, and hybrid heat pumps.

The alternative to warm air heating is a wet central heating system. This relies on a central heating source which produces and distributes hot water around the property. The heat is then released via the radiators. The hot water can also be available for use for taps and showers.

Downsides to warm air heating

Warm air heating doesn’t always have the best of reputations among homebuyers, especially from those who aren’t familiar with how the system works. There are some valid reasons for warm air heating being a deterrent to prospective homebuyers, including:

1. Cost to run heating

Warm air heating systems can be expensive to run, especially if it relies on an electricity-based heating source such as an air source heat pump. Electricity is much more expensive than gas. At the time of writing this, the average cost of electricity in the UK was three times as high as the cost of gas! Warm air heating systems can become prohibitively expensive if they are used in a property with poor insulation.

You may also need to set up and maintain the cost of a separate boiler to get hot water. Many will find it more economical to have a single boiler that can provide both heating and hot water, rather than maintaining two separate systems. It could be worth your while to check the current homeowner’s utility bill cost if they are willing to share it.

2. Dust and allergens

Warm air systems recirculate the warm air via the ducts, vents, and grills. This increases the risk of dust and allergens getting spread around the house, especially if you don’t have proper HVAC air filters set up to eliminate the unwanted particles from the air.

3. Cost to maintain and repair

Warm air heating has fallen out of fashion in the UK. The cost to repair or replace parts is likely to be high due to the limited number of manufacturers and tradesman who can service your warm air heating system. You should check the age and reliability of the warm air heating system, and figure out how easy or hard it would be to have the system maintained.

4. Air is too dry

Warm air heating systems can make the indoor air quite dry. Some people may not respond well to living in low humidity conditions. It can trigger health issues like dry skin and irritations in the nasal passages. Radiators may cause the same issues but not to the same extent as hot air heating.

Benefits to warm air heating

It’s not all doom and gloom. There are also many benefits to buying a house in the UK with a warm air heating system, such as the following:

1. Fast heating

Radiators can take forever to heat up! That’s not the case with warm air heating as long as the house has good insulation in place. An efficient warm air heating system cam warm up a property in a few minutes! This could be a nice-to-have if you are sensitive to cold temperatures.

2. Saving space

Warm air heating doesn’t require radiators that can take up a lot of wall space. This could be an important consideration for those who are buying smaller-sized properties.

3. Cooling feature

Some modern warm air heating systems may be equipped with air pumps that can also distribute cool air! This can be a nice-to-have, especially if we consider how hot the UK has gotten in the past few heat waves.