The History of Home Heating
Most of us tend to take our home’s heating system for granted. With the simple push of a button, we can set our thermostats or start our gas or electric fireplaces in Vancouver and like magic, we have heat. However, heating our homes hasn’t always been this easy or convenient; for the longest time, it involved a great deal of work, a lot of wood and many cold nights.
In the Beginning
The very first heating system was a basic stone-lined fireplace or hearth used by Neanderthals to keep warm and to cook. Despite dating back thousands of years, this simple design was commonly used until the 14th century.
Antiquity Innovations
Around 1,000 B.C., Koreans began using a system known as ondol to heat their homes. This involved connecting a fireplace to a chimney on the opposite side of the house by a series of horizontal flues than ran under the floors. These carried smoke and hot air along the length of the house, which kept the rooms warm.
The Romans also developed a similar radiant underfloor heating system. It consisted of building homes and structures on pillars, which created hollow spaces or hypocausts between the walls and under the floors. Wood burning fires were then lit, which allowed the hot air to travel throughout the buildings and then out the flues in the roofs.
Medieval Techniques
People during the Middle Ages were still using hearths, but they began insulating their homes with clay and straw, which helped to retain heat and reduced the amount of wood they needed.
Industrial Revolution
The advent of the Industrial Revolution brought about significant changes to the ways people heated their homes. Stoves and furnaces replaced fireplaces as safer, more efficient heat sources, while coal supplanted wood as the preferred fuel source. These innovations paved the way for more environmentally friendly systems, such as the first natural gas metering system in 1815, as well as oil-burning and electric furnaces shortly thereafter.
Modern Heating
Today, oil, gas and electricity are still the prevailing choices when it comes to keeping us warm. However, improvements in technology have allowed for more energy efficient and cost effective ways for us to heat our homes like gas and electrical fireplaces. Clean, safe, quickly installed and easy to use, these fireplaces are perfect for adding style and value to your home while keeping it at the right temperature.
Proudly Serving Vancouver for Over 20 Years
At BC Fireplace Service Inc., we specialize in the installation, servicing and repair of gas and electric fireplaces. We also offer an extensive collection of fireplaces from top brands, such as, Regency, Kingsman and Enviro. Contact us at 604-540-6151 to find out more about our fireplace products, services and promotions.
