Before you buy your new home, you need to have it inspected for various heating issues, and while some things are quite obvious, others are not so much.
For example you need to check the layout of your home because it will influence your heating and the electricity bills. For example homes with extreme high ceilings, while very modern and elegant, they are also a source of frustration from extreme high energy bills that you might have to pay every winter. Heat usually rises and it goes up fast, so you will need additional heating to keep you warm. So while this is great for that aristocratic look, unless you have the money to spend like the aristocrats, you might want to avoid such homes.
Also you might want to avoid buying tri-level houses because heating the upper floors will get you in trouble. Usually the upper floors are very warm, while the ground floor gets you frozen stiff. The only way to make this system work is by using in-floor heating that heats up your entire floor, be it on the ground floor or first or second floor equally.
Also what about the locations of your vents? You might find vents that have been placed under the windows, so your electricity bills will extremely high. Or you might see rooms that are quite large and spacious with either no vents or maybe one vent. You will age before you get one of these rooms to become warm!
Of course if you buy a new home, you might not come across most of these problems, however older homes will have plenty and unless you are aware of these issues, even if you buy the house at a bargain price, in just a few short years you'll spend way more than you'd ever have thought possible!
Modern homes have great floor heating systems that will save you on electricity and give you perfect heat very fast. Floor heating mats might be one of these great types you will encounter quite often. In addition, using proper radiant floor insulation can save you lots of money during the winter.
