Heating throughout history

Heating is our great ally during the winter. All we have to do is turn it on and in just a few minutes our house becomes warm and comfortable. Nowadays, there are a multitude of options for heating the inside of buildings, but in the past it was not such an easy task. In today’s article, we want to tell you how the first homes were heated and how heating has evolved up to the present day.

The evolution of heating

Throughout history, people have used a variety of methods to heat their homes. The discovery of fire meant that the first humans to inhabit the earth were able to warm themselves on the coldest days by building small fires to provide heat. Over time, these fires have been replaced by more modern methods of heating.

One of the earliest known systems was called the hypocaust and belonged to the Romans. This system was used in Roman baths, where it heated the rooms through channels installed in the floor that were connected to a furnace that emitted hot air.

In the Middle Age, homes were heated by fires, which were also used for cooking, in a system called “open fires”. Later, the chimney was invented, which replaced the open fire, allowing smoke to escape to the outside.
The first stoves appeared in the 15th century, but it was not until the 17th century that their use became widespread in different parts of the world. First, air stoves were used to heat different rooms in the house and years later they were replaced by water stoves.

When the Industrial Revolution arrived, the steam engine was invented, a much more modern system that was able to heat homes with greater power. This system gave way to the appearance of boilers, which heated the rooms through a series of ducts that were distributed throughout the floor of the house.

Eventually, the steam system would be replaced by water, giving rise to the boiler system we know today.

Today, conventional boiler heating systems are still used. However, there are more and more alternatives to these boilers, which are more efficient, more economical and less polluting.

Heating today

Today, users have a variety of methods at their disposal to heat their homes, including modern and upgraded versions of stoves, boilers and fireplaces.

However, in recent years, more and more people have decided to replace conventional heating systems with those that are more environmentally friendly and have a lower environmental impact.

Such is the example of ground-source heat pumps and aerothermal heat pumps. These are integral air-conditioning systems that are powered by renewable energies: heat from the earth and air respectively. These systems are highly efficient, producing five times more energy than they need to operate. Moreover, as they use clean energies, they are non-polluting and very economical, as they hardly use any electricity. 

At Ecoforest, we recommend that you use these new systems in your home. They will undoubtedly allow you to heat your home in a more efficient, economic and ecological way than your ancestors.