Central forced-air heating systems are by far the most popular method of heating homes in North America, no doubt because they can deliver heated air from a central furnace or heat pump to every room of the house and because it can double-up for delivery of air-conditioned air.

This system is known to provide the most natural and comfortable heat in a home. It is most commonly provided via hot water tubing embedded in the floor or directly below the floor surface heated by a boiler.

Similar to radiant heat, this system uses hot water heated by a boiler to heat a space by a combination of radiation and convection. Water is piped to "fin-tube" baseboard units mounted along walls. The fins increase the surface area of heat dissipation, making the unit more efficient.

A boiler is the heating plant used to create hot water or steam for hydronic baseboard, radiant heat or steam radiator heating systems. Boilers can use a variety of fuels including natural gas, propane, oil or electricity. Hot water boilers can be small, compact, energy efficient and low maintenance.