Benefits of 2-Stage Air Conditioners & Furnaces
All Heating and Cooling systems are sized for the Hottest day or the coldest day of the Year. This means that your heating and cooling system is oversized for 98% of the year. Over sizing the furnace is a nuisance and comfort problem. Comfort is lost because greater temperature swings occur, sometimes as much as 3-5 degrees. But in the cooling mode this is a much greater problem. Because air conditioners not only remove heat from the air but also humidity and if the system does not run for longer periods of time the temperature will drop but not the humidity, leaving you with a cold but clammy home. Very uncomfortable. All of us from the Saint Louis area know that high humidity means we feel warmer and more uncomfortable.
With 2-stage heating, the furnace comes on at the low heat setting, saving money and keeping you much more comfortable with an average temperature swing of ½-1 degree. And of course if the furnace does not reach temperature in 8 minutes it fires up to full heat.
With 2-stage cooling the air conditioner comes on in low cool, pulling out as much as 4 times more humidity out of the air, thus making you feel much more comfortable, saving money and keeping your house at a steady temperature. And again if the air conditioner does not reach temperature in 8 minutes it jumps into full air conditioning mode.