As an alternative to traditional furnace that operates at just one high speed, a variable-speed furnace – or technically, a furnace equipped with a variable-speed blower motor – can adapt to changing heating needs in your home, adjusting its speed accordingly. With advanced technology, your variable-speed furnace can more consistently circulate warm air throughout your home without wasting energy.
Utilizing a variable-speed furnace means reducing your carbon footprint because the Electronically Commutated Motor (ECM) that powers a variable speed blower uses less energy than a traditional blower motor. Rather than blowing at full blast, a variable-speed furnace usually will operate at a lower, more continuous speed. This also improves the heating efficiency of the system by maintaining more balanced heating throughout the home.
When combined with a zoning duct system, a variable-speed furnace is great for precisely controlling each designated area’s temperature. Its adaptive capability is another plus. During mild weather, the furnace will operate at the low, continuous speed, and when the weather gets colder, it can work at full capacity, quickly heating the home.
Another benefit of variable-speed furnaces is that because it spends more time circulating air, more particles get trapped in the system’s air filter. As long as the fan is running, contaminants and allergens will continue to be removed from your air, reducing health hazards and improving comfort. For the same reason, a variable-speed furnace provides superior humidity control, since the air is cycling through the system more often. In the summer, if your A/C uses the furnace blower, the ECM will provide similar benefits with cooling.
If you’re interested in variable-speed furnaces or are considering one for your house, please contact us at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning today. We’re happy to serve the needs of the Twin Cities area, and look forward to answering any questions you might have.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about variable-speed furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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