What Two-Stage Cooling Can Do for Your Lorain Area Home

Today’s air conditioners offer homeowners a variety of energy-efficient features, ranging from filter-check lights to thermal expansion valves. However, one of the most useful and beneficial is two-stage cooling.

Most A/C compressors operate on one stage, where your cooling system runs at its maximum speed all of the time. While this provides effective cooling during the hottest days, it isn’t energy efficient when outside temperatures are milder. During those days, single-stage compressors have to frequently cycle on and off to keep the right temperature. This causes your cooling system to consume more energy than required, leads to excessive wear and tear on HVAC equipment, allows for hot and cold spots in your home, and results in inadequate dehumidification and air filtration.

Such issues led to development of the two-stage cooling compressor. Also called dual-stage compressors, these units can operate on two different speeds according to outside temperatures. During the hottest times, it runs on high. But during the more frequently seen mild temperatures, the system shifts to its lower, more continuous speed. Most of these systems also include an enhanced variable-speed air handler that works in tandem with the compressor to adjust the amount of air moving throughout your household to provide the best in comfort and efficiency.

Despite running at a lower speed, the cycles are longer and nearly continuous. This means that your home keeps a consistent cool temperature with no sudden icy blasts, or prolonged waits for the air conditioner to be triggered. This consistent operation also allows the coils enough time to draw water vapor into the cooling system and keep a comfortable, dehumidified indoor environment. Because there’s less cycling on-and-off, two-stage cooling systems have one other huge benefit: prolonged service life due the decreased wear and tear on the compressor.

Before buying a new air conditioner, make sure your trusted HVAC technician correctly sizes it for your home.

For more information about two-stage cooling, contact local HVAC expert at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning, serving Lorain, Erie and Cuyahoga counties.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about two-stage cooling and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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