Over the years, many technological advancements have occurred in the field of heating systems. With furnaces being one of the most popular heating system styles, it’s no surprise that they’ve been seen at a fair of advancements over the years. One of the most notable is the variable-speed furnace option.
What Is a Variable-Speed Furnace?
To best understand a variable-speed furnace, it’s important to touch on the different stages of furnaces that you can purchase. These include the single-stage, two-stage, and variable-speed furnaces. A single-stage furnace is the simplest type of furnace with two settings: on or off. This system works at full capacity whenever it’s in the on position.
Next, we have the two-stage furnace, also known as the dual-stage furnace. This furnace sports three different modes: off, low, and high. When your thermostat is set to increase the room temperature by a lot, the high setting will allow you to reach ideal temperatures more quickly. Once the target temperatures are met, the furnace can operate in low mode. The low mode works whenever there’s not a high demand for a temperature increase, which helps to save money on wintertime heating bills.
Finally, we have the variable-speed furnace. Instead of operating in three different modes like the two-stage furnace, a variable-speed furnace is capable of modulating at various levels to best suit your specific needs at the time. This type of system tends to provide more comfort and efficiency than the other options available.
How Does It Work?
The secret behind how a variable-speed furnace functions is an electronically commutated motor, or ECM. This technology is responsible for precisely modulating the blower speed of the furnace. When heating demands are low, the furnace’s ECM automatically adjusts the blower to decrease speed to optimize energy efficiency and comfort. Conversely, if your heating demands are high, then the ECM will increase the capacity of your furnace to meet those higher demands better.
High-Efficiency Model
Because a variable-speed furnace can modulate its heating capacity in many increments between 40% to 100%, it’s considered a very fine-tuned machine. Variable-speed furnaces are classified as high-efficiency models, which can save you a bundle on your wintertime heating bills. Furthermore, many high-efficiency furnaces make you eligible to receive a tax credit from the federal government to help recoup some of your upfront investment cost.
Better Indoor Comfort
Another great benefit of investing in a variable-speed furnace is that it can provide maximum comfort for your entire family. With a variable-speed option, you will no longer have to deal with that burst of hot air that drifts off into coldness like a single-stage furnace. The temperature inside your home can stay more consistent, and you’ll experience a much smaller window of temperature fluctuations.
Enhanced Indoor Air Quality
One lesser-known benefit of a variable-speed furnace is that it can improve indoor air quality. This quality increase results from the furnace operating at a low, efficient speed. These systems tend to run their fans continuously to allow consistent air circulation. The more air circulation in your home, the more airborne particles will be trapped in the furnace’s filter. All you need to do is keep up with consistent filter changes, and you can enjoy a higher quality of air in your home with a variable-speed furnace.
Quieter Operation
Variable-speed furnaces operate at a much lower noise level than single-stage or two-stage furnaces. For example, with a single-stage furnace, you’ll get a loud fan noise when it kicks on and starts blowing hot air at 100% capacity. With a variable-speed furnace, your furnace can kick on and run at a much lower capacity, so it’s much quieter. While some people don’t mind the white noise, the quieter fan can help the acoustics of rooms where you watch TV or practice music.
Higher Home Value
There are many different purchases that you can make for your home that will increase its overall resale value. Getting a new variable-speed furnace can increase the resale value of your home due to its high efficiency. Homebuyers in some areas are willing to pay more money for homes that have highly efficient appliances because they know that these appliances translate to long-term energy savings.
Longer System Lifespan
A great advantage of installing a furnace that is a variable-speed model is that its operation helps extend the overall lifespan of your HVAC equipment. Instead of operating at full capacity all the time and wearing out its components, a variable-speed furnace fluctuates its operating capacity. This leads to less wear and tear on the entire heating system, which means your money can go much farther than with other types of furnaces. The longevity of a system like this can save you money overall if you plan to spend a lifetime in your home.
Better Humidity Control
Because home cooling systems rely on the blower components of a home’s heating system, the benefits of a variable-speed furnace can also be enjoyed during the hot summer months. One of the most notable is better humidity control. This is attributed to the ability of the variable-speed blower components to run longer cycles at a lower operating capacity. This allows more air to move over the evaporator coil and, in turn, removes more moisture. You can enjoy a more comfortable home environment by better controlling the humidity in your home during the summer months.
Are There Any Drawbacks?
Just like with any sort of appliance for your home, there are always going to be some drawbacks along with all the benefits. When it comes to a variable-speed furnace, one of the most significant drawbacks is its upfront price. Due to their very high operating efficiency, variable-speed furnaces are typically more expensive than other furnace options on the market. If you’re purchasing a furnace solely based on finding the cheapest one, then a variable-speed furnace isn’t ideal.
Tips on Selecting a Variable-Speed Furnace For Your Home
When selecting the perfect variable-speed furnace for your home, various factors must be considered. One of the most important is the type of fuel you want to use. Furnaces can run on electricity, propane, heating oil, or natural gas. Typically, natural gas is the cheapest fuel to run, while electricity is the most expensive.
If natural gas is not available in your area, you may want to opt for propane or heating oil as your fuel source. Both of these will require an on-site fuel storage tank. Another factor that you want to take into consideration is the furnace’s efficiency rating. Variable-speed furnaces come in a variety of different efficiency levels.
Reliable Furnace Installation Service
Environmental Heating & Air Solutions offers the entire Roseville, CA community reliable furnace installation service. We can help with all your heating services as well as your air conditioning, indoor air quality, plumbing, home zoning systems, emergency service, attic fan, blower door testing, ceiling fan, home automation, and insulation needs. Call us today to book your next service consultation with one of our technicians.
