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Two-Stage Heating – How Does It Work?

Your comfort at home depends largely on your furnace’s performance. While all furnaces heat the air, not all do so in a way that maximizes indoor comfort. If you’re tired of cold spots, temperature swings, and annoying fan noises, two-stage heating may be the perfect solution for your home.

Read on to learn more about two-stage heating and see if it’s right for your indoor comfort needs.

What Is Two-Stage Heating?

Simply put, two-stage technology allows your furnace to automatically adjust heating output to maintain consistent comfort throughout your home. More consistent airflow also results in quieter operation and enhanced indoor air quality. A two-stage furnace has two levels of heat output:

• Low output at about 68 percent of full heating capacity for relatively mild days
• High output at 100 percent of full heating capacity for the coldest winter days

When low output mode is insufficient, the furnace will automatically switch to high output mode to maintain your comfort. As such, the furnace continually maintains the most consistent comfort level throughout your home.

Why Are Two Stages Better Than One?

Do you sometimes find it challenging to obtain the ideal temperature inside your home during the winter months? First, you’re cold, so you turn up the thermostat. Then, you’re hot so you turn it down. That’s because traditional furnaces are designed to operate only at one level – high. Furnaces with advanced two-stage technology make the distinction between mild and extreme weather, delivering the level of heating output necessary to maintain optimal comfort conditions inside of your home. Here are just some of the benefits you’ll enjoy with a two-stage system:

• Even Temperatures. By using a longer, low output heat cycle, a two-stage furnace minimizes temperature swings within your home.
• Quieter Comfort. A two-stage furnace runs at low stage most of the time, greatly reducing the operating sounds associated with a traditional system that cycles on and off.
• Improved Indoor Air Quality. A two-stage furnace provides a longer period of time at low-speed fan operation which increases the effectiveness of the system’s filters, allowing them to capture and remove more contaminants.
• Increased Furnace Efficiency. Since a two-stage furnace operates mostly in its low output stage, it burns less fuel than a standard furnace.

Choosing a Two-Stage Furnace for Your Home

If you want – and expect – high-level performance from your home comfort system, then a two-stage furnace may be the right choice for your family. Interested in learning more about this or any of the other home comfort solutions we offer? Contact Messmer Mechanical today.