For a cold weather area, an effective heating option is a boiler system. The drawback of a boiler is that it doesn’t provide any opportunity for cooling. While the system strictly moves heat energy, it offers the versatility to heat the home, supplement hot water needs, or heat a swimming pool or hot tub. A boiler is a hydronic system, utilizing water to move heat through pipes linked to radiators, baseboard heaters or a radiant flooring system. Boilers are available in a wide range of sizes, handling both small homes and enormous commercial facilities. One of the many advantages of a boiler is the easy set up of zone control. The boiler can be installed to provide independent control between separate apartments, floors of a building or rooms in the home. This allows customized temperature settings and eliminates the need to heat empty rooms to the idea temperature. The process of moving heating energy via water is clean, silent, safe and very energy efficient. Water heats up much faster than air and retains heat longer, using very little energy and putting only minimal strain on components. Because of this, boilers tend to be extremely reliable and provide an exceptionally long service life. Quite often, an older boiler only needs to be replaced because the manufacturer no longer offers suitable replacement parts. There are very few moving parts to a boiler which minimizes maintenance requirements and the potential for malfunction. Another bonus of a boiler is the distribution of heat. Rather than blown into the room, the heat is infused into the air, creating a more gentle comfort. There is very little temperature stratification, and the warmer temperature tends to be closer to the floor.