|
Ever wish you could just take the chill out of your home's air without being overwhelmed
with a full blast of heat from your furnace?
Well, now you can, thanks to a new development in gas furnaces called two-stage
heating.
According to experts at the Trane Home Comfort Institute, two-stage heating means
the gas furnace can operate at either high or low to provide the correct level of
comfort with the most efficiency.
They say you'll feel the benefit of two-stage heating most during those transitional
times such as a cool autumn night when you just need a little heat to make your
house comfortable.
Rather than hitting you with a full blast of heat, the furnace responds with a pre-heat
stage, warming the heat exchangers before circulating air throughout the house.
Then, the two-speed blower starts at low speed, quietly and gently warming your
home.
When colder temperatures set in, the two-stage gas valve automatically increases
the fuel flow and the blower switches to high speed for maximum comfort.
Added Benefits
Increased levels of indoor comfort, however, aren't the only benefits two-stage
heating provides. Higher levels of efficiency and the lower operating costs that
accompany them are others.
The Trane Home Comfort Institute explains that operating costs go down for two reasons.
The first is the elimination of short-cycling, which is the frequent starting and
stopping common to many single-stage furnaces. Compare it to the operation of a
car, and it's similar to the difference in fuel economy between highway driving
and stop-and-go driving.
The second is better utilization of fuel. For example, at the end of the high-speed
cycle, after the fuel shuts off, the furnace continues to run a few seconds, using
the remaining heat in the exchangers before it shuts off. This helps ensure that
you get all the heat you've paid for.
|
