Shopping around for a new furnace this season? When you want to increase home comfort and decrease energy bills, consider a two-stage furnace. The gas valve inside such a furnace has two settings, one for high and one for low. When weather is milder, it sends less gas into the burner.
In a climate like ours, it makes sense to use this type of furnace because homes don't always need full capacity heating. On milder days, a single-stage furnace tends to run in short cycles, which doesn't heat your home as evenly as one that runs for longer periods. The air doesn't have as much time to mix, so rooms farther from the interior blower may not reach temperatures as warm as those that are closer.
Other benefits of this type of system include:
- Quiet operation. The furnace runs quietly, especially when it's running on low.
- Air filtration. Because the two-stage furnace runs longer on its low cycle, more air passes through the air filter for the blower, which means that more airborne particulates are trapped. Anyone who has allergies or asthma may experience more relief, since the air will have fewer irritants, especially if you use a higher efficiency filter that traps smaller contaminants.
- Longer lifetime. A single-stage furnace will turn on and off frequently, which adds wear and tear to the parts. The blower motor may not last as long because of the frequent starts and stops, which also drives up energy bills because the system uses the most power at start-up.
- Increased comfort. Besides better air distribution and circulation, you won't feel that cold blast of air from the ductwork when the furnace starts up, which it does on its lowest setting. If your home needs more heat than the setting can provide, it will ramp up and deliver the full amount of heat to match the thermostat's setting.
- Energy savings. Two-stage furnaces are often paired with variable-speed blower motors, which adjust fan speed to climate conditions in your home. This set-up saves energy since the furnace is usually operating slower and more continuously.
If you'd like more information about a two-stage furnace and how it can benefit your home, please contact us at Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning. We've provided outstanding HVAC services for Fort Wayne area homeowners since 1963.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about two-stage furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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