There’s a lot to consider when choosing and designing a heating and cooling system for a new home. You need to choose a fuel source, which in some areas can range from oil to electricity to natural gas to propane. You need to choose the type and efficiency of equipment, which may include heat pumps, boilers, and furnaces. And you need to choose the distribution system, which may be forced air, hydronic, or radiant. You have to consider the initial, fixed cost of the equipment and installation and the ongoing operating costs, which can change as fuel prices change. You may want to consider maintenance and reliability too. If you’re remodeling and are also considering the environmental impact of your decision, and the resilience factor, the decision can be even more complex. This was the topic of a recent discussion in our Q&A forum.

“Creaturesof,” who we’ll just call Creature, writes that they are renovating a gutted 1890s farmhouse in Damascus, Pa. (climate zone 6A), for an elderly couple and needs advice on heating options. With the future goal of a primarily electric, solar-powered house, Creature says that they initially planned to use ducted minisplits but have heard of issues with the minisplits’ performance in extremely cold weather and with generator compatibility in the event of a power loss. They are now considering installing hydronic baseboard heat, but that would mean adding propane to the mix and could make furniture placement tricky. That said, one advantage of propane-fueled baseboard heat is that Creature would get a Navien combination boiler that would also supply hot water. But that would still only take care of heating; they’d need to add minisplits for air-conditioning. Creature asks, “Could you outline which option would be safer, more efficient, and most environmentally friendly?”