3 Surprising Benefits Of Multi-Stage Furnaces
A standard single-stage furnace operates at full power until it can satisfy your thermostat setpoint, then shuts off until the temperature drops. You don't have to be an HVAC expert to see why this design may not always provide the best efficiency. After all, you may not always need full heating power, but your furnace will always run all out, no matter the conditions.
Multi-stage furnaces address this issue by running at lower power when the system has a smaller heating load. This design can improve efficiency, but it also offers some other surprising benefits. If you think multi-stage furnaces are purely about cost savings, check out these other three potentially surprising advantages.
1. Improved Indoor Air Quality
Your home's HVAC system uses a filter to protect its heat exchanger and (if you also have a central air conditioning unit) evaporator coils. These components sit behind the filter and can be affected by dust and debris, reducing efficiency and leading to serious reliability issues. A happy side effect of this arrangement is that the filter can also improve your indoor air quality.
Of course, the filter can only improve air quality while your system runs. A single-stage unit running at full power operates in relatively short cycles, quickly heating your home and shutting off. A multi-stage unit operates in longer, slower cycles. These longer cycles mean that air passes through your furnace filter continuously to help remove dust, allergens, and other contaminants.
2. Reduced System Noise
Attics and basements are typical locations for furnace installations, so you usually won't hear your burners and other components running. However, anyone who's lived in a home with a central heating system knows that vents can be loud. Single-stage units need to move a lot of hot air quickly, so cold days are often punctuated with the sound of air rushing through your vents.
Furnaces with multi-stage burners often require variable-speed blowers. These blowers will operate at a lower speed when the furnace isn't operating at full power. As a result, your furnace will keep your home consistently warm without constantly blasting you with hurricane-force winds.
3. Fewer Hot and Cold Spots
One of the major selling points of multi-stage furnaces is that they provide more consistent heat. Instead of constantly switching between full-power heat and nothing at all, the furnace can produce air closer to your desired temperature. However, a multi-stage furnace can also help keep temperatures more spatially consistent in your home by reducing hot and cold spots.
Hot and cold spots often form because the area near your thermostat reaches your setpoint before other parts of your home. By heating at a slower pace, your home will have time to approach your thermostat's setpoint more slowly. As a result, parts of your home won't be left with colder temperatures when your thermostat stops demanding heat from your furnace.
Reach out to a furnace installation service to learn more.
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