central heating

American  

noun

1. a system that supplies heat to an entire building from a single source through ducts or through pipes.

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central heating British  

noun

1. a system for heating the rooms of a building by means of radiators or air vents connected by pipes or ducts to a central source of heat

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Etymology

Origin of central heating

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

central heating

Technology, though, has improved rapidly in this area and more modern facilities use a closed loop of water, similar to that in domestic central heating systems.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Across Cornwall, more than 34,500 households are thought to rely on oil for their central heating.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

I received a similar question recently from a reader who had employed a heating engineer to fix their central heating.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 14, 2026

Before Russia's full-scale invasion of 2022, about 11 million households in Ukraine relied on central heating, compared to seven million autonomously heated households, Ukrainian energy expert Yuriy Korolchuk said.

From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026

And, of course, in many practical ways, the Romans were much more advanced than the Elizabethans—better roads, central heating, proper baths.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton