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When the temperatures drop, your home’s heating system suddenly becomes the star of the show. But not all types of heating systems work the same way—or offer the same comfort, efficiency, and long-term value. If you’re thinking about replacing an old unit, planning a renovation, or just trying to understand what’s already in your home, it helps to know the most common types of heaters used in the Bay Area.
IRBIS Air, Plumbing & Electrical installs, repairs, and maintains furnaces and heat pumps throughout San Jose and surrounding communities, giving homeowners modern, energy-efficient heating systems tailored to our climate.
What Is a Home Heating System?
A home heating system is any setup that keeps your indoor space warm during cooler weather. In the Bay Area, that usually means a central system that moves warm air through ductwork, or a heat pump system that can both heat and cool your home with one set of equipment.
On the IRBIS website, the main types of heating systems we work with are:
Other types of heaters, like baseboard units, space heaters, or wall furnaces, exist, but IRBIS focuses on modern, whole-home solutions that deliver consistent comfort and strong energy efficiency.
Furnaces: A Traditional Whole-Home Heating System
For many Bay Area homes, the primary heating system is a furnace that warms air and moves it throughout the house. If you have a single thermostat on the wall and warm air blowing from multiple vents, there is a good chance a furnace is at the heart of your system.
IRBIS offers furnace repair, maintenance, and installation as part of its core HVAC services.
How a Furnace Heating System Works
A furnace pulls in indoor air, warms it inside the unit, and then sends that warmed air back into your living spaces. Over time, this cycle raises the temperature throughout the home to match your thermostat setting.
Because it uses a central unit and a network of supply and return paths, a furnace is well-suited for houses that already have a central heating and cooling setup. For many homeowners in San Jose, Santa Clara, and nearby cities, this is the most familiar of all the types of heating systems.
Advantages of Furnace Heating Systems
Many homeowners stick with furnace-based heating systems because they:
- Warm the home relatively quickly on chilly mornings
- Can be paired with a central cooling system using the same distribution paths
- They are widely supported by local HVAC technicians and parts suppliers
With proper installation and regular maintenance, a quality furnace can provide reliable heat for many years.
Heat Pumps: Efficient Heating and Cooling in One
If you spend time on the IRBIS website, you’ll see a lot about heat pumps, and for good reason. IRBIS specializes in heat pump installation, maintenance, and repair.
What Is a Heat Pump System?
A heat pump is a versatile heating system that can both heat and cool your home with the same equipment. Instead of creating heat from scratch, a heat pump moves heat from one place to another:
- In heating mode, it pulls heat from the outdoor air and brings it indoors.
- In cooling mode, it works like an air conditioner, moving heat from inside to outside.
Because it transfers heat rather than simply generating it, a heat pump can be much more efficient than many older types of heaters, especially in California’s relatively mild climate.
Benefits of Heat Pump Heating Systems
Homeowners are increasingly choosing heat pumps among modern types of heating systems because they:
- Provide heating and cooling in one system
- Use energy more efficiently by moving heat instead of just producing it
- Can support electrification goals and help reduce direct on-site emissions
IRBIS also highlights real-world projects where homeowners upgraded to heat pump systems and received substantial rebates for improving the efficiency of their HVAC and water heating equipment.
How to Choose Between Different Types of Heating Systems
With multiple types of heating systems available, it can be hard to know which is best for your home. IRBIS typically helps homeowners consider:
- The size, layout, and insulation level of the house
- Existing equipment and distribution paths
- Long-term energy and electrification goals
- Available rebates and budget
- Desired comfort level in each season
In some cases, tuning up or upgrading an existing furnace makes the most sense. In others, switching to a heat pump system offers the best combination of comfort, efficiency, and incentives. For homes planning a more comprehensive update, integrating new heating equipment into a broader electrification plan can deliver the biggest long-term benefits.
Other Home Heating Options
In some Bay Area homes you’ll still find wall heaters that warm just a single room, older oil furnaces that use ducts like a gas furnace but require fuel deliveries, radiant floors and other water-based (hydronic) systems that provide very comfortable, quiet heat but usually need a separate system for cooling, as well as central heat pumps that share existing ductwork and ductless mini-split heat pumps that use one or more indoor heads to heat and cool specific zones. Each of these options can make sense in certain situations—for example, mini-splits are great for additions or homes without ducts, while radiant or hydronic systems are prized for “warm floor” comfort—but they can also lead to uneven temperatures, multiple pieces of equipment to manage, and higher energy use compared to a thoughtfully designed whole-home system.
Because IRBIS is built around modern, central solutions, our team focuses on high-efficiency furnaces and heat pumps rather than maintaining wall or oil furnaces, standalone radiant/hydronic setups, or single-room heaters; if your home currently relies on those systems, we’re happy to walk you through what an upgrade to a central furnace or heat pump could look like and whether it would improve comfort, simplify your setup, and help lower long-term energy costs.
Get Help Choosing the Right Heating System for Your Home
Choosing between different heating systems isn’t always simple – your home, budget, and comfort goals are all unique. IRBIS Air, Plumbing & Electrical helps Bay Area homeowners compare modern types of heaters, understand available rebates, and design a system that’s efficient, reliable, and built to last.
If you’re not sure which types of heating systems are right for your house, call (408) 317 3901 or contact IRBIS through the website to schedule a consultation. A licensed technician can walk you through your options and recommend the best solution for your home.
