heating

Process of raising the temperature of an enclosed space. Heat can be delivered by convection, radiation, and thermal conduction. With the exception of the ancient Romans, who developed a form of central heating, most cultures relied on direct heating methods such as fireplaces and stoves. Central heating, adopted for use again in the 19th century, is a method of indirect heating: heat is produced away from the occupants and then conveyed to them. In warm-air heating, air heated by a furnace rises through ducts to rooms above, where it is emitted through grills. In hot-water systems, a pump circulates water from a boiler through a system of pipes to radiators or convectors in rooms. In steam systems, steam is generated in the boiler and led to radiators through pipes. The high temperature of the steam makes it hard to control, and steam heating has been largely superseded. A common type of electric heating system converts electric current to heat by means of resistors that emit radiant energy. See also radiant heating, solar heating.

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