Furnaces
Different Types of Furnaces
There are two different efficiency categories of furnaces available, regardless of brand and within those categories there are three basic types of furnaces. The two different efficiencies are furnaces that have an 80% efficiency rating and those that have a 90% efficiency rating or greater. A furnace with a rating of 80% means that 80 cents worth of gas is used to heat your home but another 20 cents is wasted. Furnaces in this range go all the way to 82% efficient. A higher rated furnace, say 95% means that the furnace uses 95 cents of heat and only another 5 cents is wasted. Both efficiency categories have three different types of furnaces available and they are single stage, two stage and variable speed furnaces.
Single Stage Furnaces
Single stage furnaces are designed to have enough heat output to keep you warm on the coldest day of the year by clicking on or off. When they operate, they run full blast until your thermostat shuts them off. They usually turn on and off frequently. these are inexpensive but not efficient. The single stage furnace produces an uncomfortable temperature swing in your home that is not very comfortable or consistent.
Two Stage Furnaces
Two stages furnaces were invented to flatten the temperature curve caused by the single stage units. They have two different heat output settings and can heat your home on anything but the coldest day of the year on the lowest heat output setting. They run longer but will more evenly heat your home. Your family, your walls and your furniture get heated instead of just the air like in a single stage furnace. The downside side of two stages furnaces is their longer run time can produce slightly higher electric bills from the fan or blower in the unit running more often.
Variable Speed Furnaces
Variable speed furnaces reduce the furnace blower’s higher consumption by using a special D/C current motor to provide a variable speed unit that is simply the best available heating source today. The variable speed furnace converts A/C current from you home to D/C current which allows the furnace to have an unlimited number of speeds and to run extremely efficiently. The blower motor in either single stage or two stage furnace consumes about $300 dollars a year in electricity while the variable speed blower uses only $30 a year.
There are many factors that affect the amount of cool or warm air delivered to the rooms in your house. A variable speed furnace can overcome all the reasons for poor airflow (except a clogged filter) and delivers the exact amount of warm or cool. another reason a variable furnace makes sense in Kentucky is there is a built in dehumidification system that is standard with every variable speed system from Koppel. Special thermostats are required that also measure the humidity in your house along with the temperature. Up to 15 to 20 percent moisture can be extracted from your home which also saves you money. Because the air is drier, it does not have to be as cold to feel the same amount of comfort. Generally, houses can be four to five degrees warmer and still feel as comfortable. and making you feel much more comfortable during the dog days of summer.