4 Good Reasons To Invest In A Modulating Furnace

Picking the perfect furnace is a tough task even for the savviest of homeowners. The HVAC market is full of furnaces that offer their own unique benefits and drawbacks. Some offer budget-minded shoppers an affordable way to upgrade their aging furnace, while others offer cost-no-object comfort with the latest features.

When choosing the most efficient furnace on the market, however, the modulating furnace stands alone. Sometimes known as condensing furnaces due to their most unique feature, modulating furnaces maximize every bit of their fuel source to provide efficient heat. The end result is an energy-efficient furnace that satisfies your home's heating needs.

Wondering if you should invest in a modulating furnace for your home? Take a moment to consider what these furnaces have to offer over their conventional counterparts.

1. Newer Furnace Features

Modulating furnaces have many features that not only provide excellent comfort to your home but also improve its overall energy efficiency. When you purchase a modulating furnace, you will benefit from the following features.

Modulating Gas Valve

The modulating gas valve lies at the heart of the modulating furnace. This feature adjusts the incoming gas supply, which in turn adjusts the burner flame's intensity. These valves often go with electronic controls that allow for fine adjustments according to thermostat demand.

With a modulating gas valve, modulating furnaces can stick closely to their target temperatures, putting an end to wild temperature swings.

Variable-Speed Blower Motor

Like the modulating gas valve, the variable-speed blower motor allows for fine-tuned control of the furnace's blower fan. Instead of operating at 100 percent of its rated speed, a variable-speed blower motor can ramp down to a fraction of that speed after the furnace meets its heating demand.

With this feature, condensing furnaces can offer continuous airflow for effective air filtration and comfort while reducing overall noise.

Secondary Heat Exchanger

For greater energy efficiency, most modulating furnaces come equipped with a primary and secondary heat exchanger. The secondary heat exchanger scavenges whatever heat energy is left from the combustion gases after they pass through the primary heat exchanger. With this feature, modulating furnaces can turn more of their fuel into usable energy for your home.

2. Lower Operating Costs

At an average cost of $5, 00 0 to $7,500 for purchase and installation, modulating furnaces do not come cheap. However, a modulating furnace can quickly pay for itself thanks to its reduced operating costs. For starters, upgrading to a modulating furnace means you will not have to struggle to maintain an aging furnace, knocking those maintenance costs out of the box.

Modulating furnaces also operate more efficiently than their single-stage and two-stage counterparts do. To get a sense of a furnace's efficiency, look at its Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, or AFUE, rating. AFUE ratings go off the amount of energy a furnace successfully converts into heat.

A standard single-stage furnace with an AFUE of 85 percent can turn 85 percent of the energy it consumes into usable heat for your home.

Most modulating furnaces carry AFUE ratings between 90 and 95 percent, with some furnaces capable of achieving a 98-percent AFUE rating. Not only do you use less energy to operate a modulating furnace but you will also reduce your annual heating costs by a significant amount.

3. Improved Overall Comfort

Modulating furnaces also excel at creating a comfortable environment for you and others in your home. With its variable-speed controls and modulating gas valve, a modulating furnace can keep your home's temperatures within one to two degrees of your desired thermostat set point. The even heating these furnaces provide helps eliminate cold spots as well as extreme temperature swings.

Effective air filtration is also possible thanks to the variable-speed controls that modulating furnaces offer. Thanks to longer and more consistent run times, a modulating furnace's air filter can capture and remove a greater amount of airborne pollutants than other furnaces.

4. Quieter Operation

Modulating furnaces are capable of more than just improving your home's overall comfort. These furnaces also offer relatively quiet operation when compared to standard single-stage and two-stage furnaces. Single-stage furnaces are only capable of running at full tilt when active, resulting in a relatively noisy furnace for the time it heats your home.

Modulating furnaces use their variable-speed motor technology to ramp down fan speeds whenever possible, resulting in less noise and more consistent operation. Keep in mind that you will not get completely silent operation from your modulating furnace.

A modulating furnace makes a great replacement for your current single-stage or two-stage furnace. If you are ready to make the switch for your Hurst, Euless, or Bedford home, give the experts at Henry's Service All a call today. We specialize in residential heating installation and repair for a broad range of popular furnace brands. We are happy to answer all your questions about our furnace services.