A high-efficiency furnace is an investment that will garner substantial gas savings over time. A standard furnace is 80% efficient meaning that 20% of the gas the furnace uses gets wasted directly out of the chimney. With a high-efficiency furnace, you will have a furnace that is at least 96% efficient which means only 4% of the gas you put into the furnace is lost. Over time this accumulates into large savings and the high-efficiency furnace pays for itself.
A 2-stage variable speed furnace can be standard 80% efficiency or 96% or more high efficiency at the selection of the customer. The 2-stage variable speed option is ideal for homes where uneven temperatures create comfort concerns or where the ductwork is too small for the home. 2-level homes and split-level homes are also ideal situations for a variable-speed furnace. The first feature of a variable-speed furnace is a more powerful blower motor. It runs at different speeds to precisely control the flow of heated or cooled air throughout your home. Better airflow control means a better balance of temperature and humidity. Using advanced technology, it constantly monitors the data coming from your heating and cooling system and automatically makes adjustments necessary to meet your comfort needs. It varies the amount of circulated air, compensating for factors like dirty filters or blocked or undersized vents by increasing the fan speed. A variable-speed motor also uses 1/20th the electricity of a standard motor so homeowners can leave the motor running at a lower speed so the furnace is constantly filtering the air and mixing the air throughout the home to create more even temperatures.
The term 2-stage means that the furnace has a “low” heat and “high heat mode.” The furnace does not always need to heat at full capacity in milder outdoor temperatures in order to heat a home. A 2-stage furnace will run at only 70% capacity when its full power is not needed. This means it is only using 70% of its gas and the motors are spinning at only 70% speed. When the demand for more heat is needed the furnace will enter into 2nd stage or 100% capacity to satisfy the needs of the home. A 2-stage furnace provides further energy savings and more comfort in a home by not heating the home up too quickly when it is not necessary. This allows for a better heating cycle to transport heat and humidity to all areas of the home.
