The Hot History of Home Heating

A hand holds a thermometer next to a radiator.

Ready for another history lesson? We already shared with you the cool history of air conditioning , so now it’s time to tell you about the history of home heating. Here’s Warner Service ’s comprehensive timeline:

Pre-100,000 BCE: The sun is the only form of heat. That's a no-brainer.

100,000 BCE: Wood is the only heat source, so fire is used for cooking and warmth.

42,000 BCE: A hearth, which is the floor of a fireplace, is used in a Neanderthal building that’s built from mammoth bones in modern-day Ukraine.

7,500 – 5,700 BCE: Open hearths are used in Çatalhöyük, a large Neolithic settlement that resides in modern-day Turkey.

3,000 BCE: Braziers, portable heaters consisting of a pan or stand for holding lighted coals, are used in Romania.

1,000 BCE: Ondol underfloor heating systems are used in present-day North Korea. They directly transfer heat from wood smoke to the underside of a thick masonry floor.

500 BCE: The Greek and Romans use hypocausts, a hollow space under the floor into which hot air is sent for heating a room or bath.

376: The beginning of the Fall of Rome leads to the decline of hypocaust systems all over Europe. Instead, Europeans use the Turkish hearths.

1101 - 1200: The first rudimentary chimneys are built in large buildings across northern Europe.

1347: A massive earthquake destroys several chimneys in Venice.

1368: Chimney systems are renovated and widely adopted during Tudor England. They are so rare that guests who want to stay in rooms with chimneys have to pay extra.

1501: Chimneys become more common in homes, which lead to the introduction of coal as a fuel. Coal usage leads to the construction of multiple flues and fireplaces.

Late 1600s: The first freestanding warm-air stove is the “smokeless stove,” invented by Dalsme in France.

1719: All of the clay chimneys in England are to be rebuilt of brick due to inefficiency and dangerous construction.

1741: Benjamin Franklin invents “The Franklin Stove," which burns fuel at a much higher efficiency.

1742: Franklin invents the “Pennsylvania Fire Place” to further improve heating efficiency. (Is there anything he couldn't do?)

1796: Benjamin Thompson invented The Rumford fireplace, which is incorporated into the wall so smoke can travel up the chimney instead of leaking into the room.

1815: The first gas metering system is invented as part of the industrial revolution. However, it won’t be fully implemented until the late 1840s.

1855 – 1857: Businessman Franz San Galli invents the radiator in Russia.

1883: Thomas Edison invents the first electric heater, only 4 short years after inventing the lightbulb. Talk about a genius.

1885: The first riveted-steel coal furnace is built by Dave Lennox. It replaces wood-burning brick fireplaces and cast-iron potbelly stoves like The Franklin Stove.

1891: Businessman Clarence Kemp invents the first solar water heater in the United States. He calls it the Climax.

1900: Thousands of different stove designs are available by dozens of manufacturers, marking the stove’s beginning as a common household appliance.

1919: The first patent for the central heating system is granted to Alice Parker. A stark contrast to its predecessors, it allows people to regulate temperature in their home more efficiently.

1920s: The oil-burning furnace makes its debut and quickly becomes a popular home heating option. Electricity-powered furnaces will eventually replace them.

Late 1940s: Robert C. Webber builds the first direct exchange (DX) geothermal source heat pump.

1970: Only 1.3 percent of the U.S. population still uses wood for heat, a drastic drop from nearly a third of the population in 1940.

1990: Solar air heating is invented and patented as SolarWall. Also, the first ultra-low energy building is in Germany.

Early 2000s: First Mirco-CHP (Combined Heat and Power) systems are introduced to the domestic market.

And now you're all caught up! If you need a check-up on your home’s heating, plumbing or air conditioning, contact us today.

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The Hot History of Home Heating