Two-Stage Furnace: How It Works in Your Portland Metro Home

If you need to replace the furnace in your Portland area home before the worst of winter arrives, you may want to consider one of the newer types of energy-efficient models, such as a two-stage furnace. Compared to the traditional single-stage version, a modern two-stage furnace has several advantages.

Increased Comfort

A single-stage furnace has only a single high setting, so it cycles on and off to keep your home at the desired temperature. Between cycles, you may notice certain areas of the home are cooler than others, decreasing the perceived comfort level. With a two-stage furnace, it operates up to 80 percent of the time on a low-heat setting, constantly distributing warm air and preventing the development of cold spots. On colder-than-average days, it uses the high-heat setting to maintain temperature.

Efficiency

Because the two stage-furnace operates on the low setting most of the time, only switching to high on the coldest days, it uses less energy than a single-stage furnace that’s designed to run at full capacity no matter the temperature. The consistent warm air and reduction of cold spots keeps the home comfortable even in colder climates, reducing your temptation to turn up the thermostat and adding to your savings. Finally, by using a variable-speed blower motor instead of the older single-speed models, electricity consumption is greatly reduced.

Quieter Operation

The variable-speed fan of a two-stage furnace operates at low speeds most of the time, which decreases the amount of noise you hear during the furnace’s operation. In addition, speed changes occur gradually, eliminating the sudden noise increase that happens when a single-stage furnace turns on.

Better Filtration

The slower speed of the fan allows air to move through the air filter at a slower rate. This allows the air filter to more efficiently remove contaminants, increasing indoor air quality and helping those with allergies or asthma.

If you have considered the advantages and would like to upgrade to a two-stage furnace for your home, please contact our expert technicians at Roth Heating and Cooling for an estimate today. We have been serving the Portland area since 1976.