If you’ve been heating your Savannah- area home with an older furnace, chances are you’ve had to put up with unconformable temperature fluctuations and chilly spots in your rooms. These are telltale signs of a single-stage furnace. By upgrading to a two-stage furnace, you can enjoy more consistent temperatures and lower energy bills as well.
The Trouble With One-Stage Furnaces
The typical single-stage furnace is an older mid-efficiency model. The mechanical components in these furnaces allow them to operate at only one level of heat output. The furnace is either on and blasting out hot air at maximum capacity or off and letting your house get cold.
Because of this, the furnace must cycle on and off frequently to maintain the thermostat temperature. Even with this frequent cycling, though, you’ll probably find your rooms overheat and then rapidly cool off, rarely staying at your preferred temperature.
Two-Stage Furnaces Improve Your Comfort
Among newer models, the two-stage furnace is more common. These models contain more advanced components that let them run at two different settings: low and high. On the low setting, the furnace runs at around 65 percent of its total capacity. This provides all the warmth you need on mildly chilly days.
Given the Savannah area’s moderate winters, a two-stage furnace will run on low up to 80 percent of the time. For truly cold days, the furnace will kick into high and operate a full capacity.
Having the choice of a lower setting offers a number of benefits:
- Improved comfort – Less heat over longer periods keeps your home at a more consistent temperature.
- Lower energy bills – The ability to run at reduced capacity makes a two-stage furnace a more energy efficient heating option than a one-stage furnace.
- Cleaner air – Your indoor air will pass through the furnace filter more often, becoming a littler cleaner each time.
- Less noise – The fan motor runs slower, so it makes less noise.
If you think you could benefit from a two-stage furnace or you’d like help with any other home comfort equipment, contact us at Byrd Heating and Air Conditioning. We proudly serve homeowners in the Savannah, Garden City and Tremont Park areas.
