If you are in need of a new heating system in your home, you have a few options to choose from. Forced air and baseboard heating are among the most popular ones to choose from. The following information provides you with a basic overview, along with the main pros and cons.

Forced Air Heating

This is one of the most popular ways to get heat into your home, which goes through ductwork installed in your home. With forced air heating, you will get heat to all rooms as the air is forced through the ducts and out the vents into each room. Consider these pros and cons of forced air heating:

Pros:

• You get fast and efficient heat. Forced air heating systems are known for working quickly and efficiently. You can manually turn on the thermostat or program it to turn on whenever your home reaches a certain temperature, after which you will notice heat just minutes later.
• It includes central air conditioning. Forced air heating systems are part of an entire central HVAC system, which also includes air conditioning. That way, you don't need to choose a separate air conditioning system for your home.

Cons:

• You may need extensive installation of the ductwork. Unless you already have ductwork installed, this can be time consuming. Ductwork is required throughout your home in order to have air in every room of the house. You may also need to install it in the basement, attic, and garage.
• Poorly-maintained systems have allergens and debris entering your home's air supply. It is essential that you clean and maintain the system. Otherwise, the filters get clogged and no longer stop debris from exiting the vents and getting into the air, causing allergies and illness.

Baseboard Heating

The other option is to have baseboard heating in your home. With baseboard heating, there are tubes installed inside the baseboards of your home, as opposed to going through ductwork. While there are a variety of benefits of baseboard heating, there are also some drawbacks.

Pros:

• There is no ductwork to be installed. This can save you money by not requiring extensive installation work, as well as installing the heating system more quickly.
• It is much quieter. With baseboard heating, the heat goes through the tubes in the baseboards, which causes almost no noise. You can have heat while sleeping or taking a nap, and not worry about it waking you up. This is in contrast to blowers used for forced air systems that are something noisy and distracting.

Cons:

• Installation is sometimes more expensive. While baseboard heating doesn't require ductwork, there is still installation of the heating tubes and baseboard vents. In some cases, this is more expensive than installing traditional ductwork for a forced air system. Speak to an HVAC technician to compare the costs of installation.
• They cause dry heat. If your family is not used to dry air, it can take some adjusting to. Baseboard heat tends to be dry unless there is a humidity control installed as well.

Talk to a professional to discuss these benefits and drawbacks and decide which heating system is better for you.