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Do you have a furnace or a boiler?
Sounds like a simple question and it is, yet if you are not familiar with “technical” terms, it can be confusing.
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Boilers heat water that circulates through the home and gives off heat … known as forced hot water heating. Furnaces heat air that is distributed throughout the house … called a forced hot air heating system.

Info	Boiler	Furnace
How heat is distributed ​	Heats water which flows throughout pipes that radiate heat throughout the home. ​	​Heats air that is forced throughout the house using a blower motor.
Maintenance requirements ​	Needs to have excess air bled from the system periodically, recognized when rooms are not heating up correctly. ​	Filters need to be changed or cleaned on a regular basis, from once a month to once a quarter.
How temperature is controlled ​	Typically installed with multiple zones, each with it’s own thermostat so you can set the temperature differently for living areas versus bedrooms. ​	Forced air systems historically were controlled by a central thermostat.
Energy efficiency ​	Multiple zones are recommended to reduce heating costs to only the rooms you need at any given time. ​	​Uses electricity to power the fan motor. A variable speed fan motor is more efficient and can save you hundreds of dollars per year.