Heating is the supplying of heat to a building, vehicle, or other enclosure to make the occupants comfortable. This article deals with the heating of houses and other buildings.
Most people feel comfortable in a room with a temperature of 68 to 75 °F (20 to 24 °C). The humidity in a room also affects comfort. If two rooms have the same temperature but different humidity, most people will feel warmer in the room with the higher humidity. An indoor relative humidity of 30 to 70 percent is the most comfortable for most people (see Humidity).
The temperature in a home can be lower without sacrificing comfort for some people if moisture is added to the air with a device called a humidifier. However, adding the moisture may require more energy than merely raising the temperature.
There are two kinds of heating equipment, central heating systems and local heating devices. A central system generates heat for an entire building at a central place, then delivers the heat where it is needed. A local heating device, such as a stove or room heater, produces heat for only one part of a building. Central heating systems are much more common in industrialized countries than in developing nations.
