These Furnace Add-ons Can Improve Your Comfort and Savings

When you’re replacing your old heating system, a variety of furnace add-ons will help you get more comfort and energy savings. New furnaces are available that use variable speeds to control the amount of heat your home needs at any given time, and contain motors that adjust their speed based on heat output. The furnace may only run on high when the weather is exceptionally cold or after you’ve turned the heat up when you return home or rise in the morning.

The two variable-speed components include the gas valve that adjusts the amount of gas sent to the burner and the blower’s motor that adjusts its speed accordingly. Because the furnace runs at low speeds most of the time, it runs more continuously, which gives you these benefits:

• Better heat distribution. A system that runs on high can heat your home too quickly, while the rooms further from the thermostat may not be as warm as those areas close to it.
• Improved indoor air quality. Because the system runs longer, more air passes through the air filter for the blower, trapping more airborne particulates. Furnace add-ons like this help with respiratory issues, and anyone with allergies, asthma, or respiratory issues may see some improvement.
• Quiet operation. When the blower’s motor isn’t running at top speed, it does so more quietly. There’s less noise in the ductwork, as well, since the airflow going through it does so at a slower speed.
• Lower energy consumption. Systems use much more electricity when they first start to run, so by running longer at a slower speed, they minimize the starts the system needs to make. Fewer starts also prolong the system’s life because stress on the equipment is highest at start-up. A system that has an electronically commutated motor (ECM) running its variable speed blower will use the least amount of energy.

To learn more about these furnace add-ons for your Cleveland area home, please contact us at Stack Heating & Cooling today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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