If you’re considering upgrading your heating system, some research will help you make the right purchase. You’ll need to understand the different furnaces available and how they’ll impact your comfort and wallet. Let’s make things easier for you by comparing two types of furnaces: single-stage and two-stage furnaces.
How the Furnaces Work
A single-stage furnace, also known as a one-stage furnace, only has one heat setting: high. That means whenever the furnace turns on, it always disperses the maximum heat it possibly can, irrespective of the temperatures outside or in some areas of your house.
A two-stage or two-speed furnace has two heat settings: low heat and high heat. Most of the time, it operates at the lower setting, which is about 60-65 percent of its full capacity. It kicks into the higher setting on extremely cold days to deliver the additional heating requirements.
Energy Efficiency
A single-stage furnace operates at full capacity even if it’s fairly cold outside. On the other hand, a two-stage furnace uses about 65 percent of the amount of energy that a single-stage furnace uses. Two-stage furnaces are therefore more energy efficient than single-stage furnaces.
Comfort
One significant difference between single-stage and two-stage heating is temperature swings. A single-stage furnace heats your home rapidly at full blast then turns off. Your home cools down, resulting in cold spots. When operating at its lower setting, a two-stage furnace runs for longer periods and distributes heat more evenly.
Wear and Tear
Because of the longer running cycles and fewer starts and stops, two-stage systems experience less wear and tear than one-stage systems.
Costs
A two-stage furnace costs more upfront than a single-stage furnace.
Now that you know the pros and cons of these two types of heating systems, you’re better placed to pick the best one for your home. While two-stage furnaces are more expensive, they offer more flexibility and efficiency than single-stage systems.
For more expert advice on choosing between a single-stage and two-stage furnace, contact Ace Hardware Home Services. We proudly serve the Dayton area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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