Put yourself in this situation. It is the dead of winter in Chicago, and you are upstairs in the computer room of your home surfing the web, paying bills, and getting some shopping done. You feel a chill, and decide to go check the temperature on the thermostat downstairs in the living room. You normally set the thermostat at 76 degrees, and at this moment it is reading 77. There isn’t any heat coming out of the vents because the temperature hasn’t dropped low enough for the furnace to kick on. But, why is it so chilly upstairs? There isn’t a mechanical problem with the furnace; you have temperature swings.
What are Temperature Swings?
Temperature swings are common in homes that use forced air heating systems. They involve uncomfortable changes in temperature between floors and rooms in a home. This is usually caused by the way that typical single stage heating systems function. When the temperature read by the thermostat drops below what is set, the furnace will fire up at full capacity. Within a matter of minutes the temperature on the thermostat goes back up and the furnace shuts down. The problem is that these short blasts of hot air aren’t enough to heat areas of the home that are further away from the thermostat. You need a two-stage furnace!
What is Two-Stage Heating?
Two-stage heating gives the furnace two heating capacities: high and low. During the times of the day that the temperature requirements are easier to maintain, the furnace will run at low speed. This allows the furnace to run for longer periods of time and evenly heat the entire home. When the temperature outside is extremely cold, the furnace will use the second, high heat, stage to keep up with the demand for heat in the home. When you are searching for a replacement furnace, you will find that many high efficiency furnaces are able to achieve their efficiency without having two-stage heating. When you are looking at furnaces in the 90-95% AFUE range, efficiency isn’t helped much by two-stage heat as opposed to single stage heat. Two-stage heating has more to do with increasing comfort in your home.
Your Home Comfort Specialist
If you are tired of temperature swings, it is worth the extra investment to choose two-stage heating for your home. At Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning, we have Lennox Home Comfort Systems that have two-stage operation and even multi-stage operation. Multi-stage capabilities allow the furnace to more precisely regulate heat output beyond just high and low settings. This feature will further increase your homes overall comfort, and you can find this feature in systems like the SLP98V from Lennox.
Here at Four Seasons, we want to be able to offer our customers the latest in heating and cooling technology, and we chose Lennox because they provide us with that ability. Don’t let your family endure the discomfort caused by that old furnace this winter. Scheduling your free estimate with Four Seasons is only first step towards improving the comfort in your home; Let Four Seasons guide you the rest of the way today!
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Tags: Chicago, Four Seasons, free estimate, Furnace, furnace sales, Harvey, home comfort, IL, La Grange Park, Lennox, Matteson, multi-stage, single stage, temperature swings, two stage