Resistance heating is one of the most commonly used forms of heat generation and is found in a wide range of domestic and industrial applications. Resistance heating is a product of all circuits where electric current encounters resistance; although it has many beneficial uses, it can damage or destroy electrical equipment if not controlled.

Anyone who has used a kettle, toaster, or a bar heater on a chilly evening has made the acquaintance of resistance heating. The effects of resistance heating were first noted in the mid-1800s by James Prescott Joule and the phenomenon quickly became the cornerstone of one of the most widely used forms of heating of all time. The basic principle of resistance heaters centers around the reaction caused when the electric current electron flow encounters the ion structure of the conductor. 

Forced air home heating systems can run off of gas heat or electricity. They are widely used, which means that finding someone to work on one, either for installation or repairs, is relatively simple. Homes that are heated with forced air home heating systems do require ductwork, which is often lacking in an older home.

As an alternative to the water pipe system, a heating system may apply gas or electricity directly to the heater. These emit heat by warming a coil. Some will just emit heat passively from the coil while others employ a fan to blow heat into the room.

It is a basic law of physics that heat moves to cold, meaning that a warm object will attempt to heat anything around it. For example, when ice cubes are placed into a glass of warm water, the water in the glass does not turn to ice; instead, the ice in the glass melts. This happens because the molecules in the water want to achieve equilibrium with the molecules in the ice. The water heats the ice until all the contents of the glass reach a nearly uniform temperature.

Passive cooling is a method that incorporates design and technology to cool a building without the use of power. Traditional cooling techniques, such as air conditioning or evaporative cooling, rely on power to operate compressors and fans that forcibly cool a space. Such power is most typically purchased from a local utility and is generated by burning fossil fuels that can have degrading effects on the environment.

Vents and windows strategically incorporated into a building’s design, for example, can route hot air out of the house while drawing in cool air to replace it. Hotter air is more buoyant than cooler air and rises naturally on its own. Vents placed near the ceiling on the side of the house away from prevailing winds can help this hotter air escape the structure. To replace it with cool air, vents and windows may be placed low on the side of the house in the path of the prevailing wind. It is then a simple matter of opening vents and windows to encourage natural convection to cool the structure.

More complex passive cooling methods may also be incorporated into a building’s design, such as earth cooling tubes. Earth cooling tubes take advantage of the cooler temperatures below the surface of the earth to cool a structure. Buried underground as they lead into a structure, earth cooling tubes draw outdoor air into the building through an underground route. As it passes through these tubes, air looses heat to the much cooler ground through which it travels on its way into the structure. Other passive cooling techniques are typically used in conjunction with earth tubes to set up a natural convection through the structure and vent hotter air.