Leon Spurrell from National HVAC Consultants Ltd. in Toronto came onto my TV show to talk about heating systems, and their differences across the country.
One important point he made, was that heating, ventilation, filtration and air conditioning all work together as a single system. When they are considered separately, that usually leads to imbalances and poorly performing houses.
Leon argues that ducting should be set up to be able to change it from season to season so that in the winter the return air ducts draw cold air off the floor, while in the summer months, the return air ducts should draw the hot air off of the ceiling.
Many parts of the country tend to use radiant heat of some kind rather than forced air. In these homes you need ducted ventilation systems that do the same thing, take excess cold air off of the floors in the winter and excess hot air off of the ceilings in the summer.
Fuel costs and even types are fluctuating constantly across the country. Some areas have new sources becoming available, like gas in the Maritimes and pellets in Ontario. I asked Leon, when is it economical to switch from one fuel to another? He recommended waiting until your old system was ready to give up the ghost. When you have to buy a new furnace or heating system anyway, that is the appropriate time to consider switching to a new fuel. Until you are ready for a new furnace, the homeowner is better to concentrate on air sealing, air quality, filtration and things like this that will all be still useful when you get around to getting that new heating system.