Here is some straightforward information to help you decide which Carrier air conditioning solution is right for your home and budget. If you have any questions about this, our experts at ECI Comfort would be glad to help you out as well!

Fixed-speed motors have only one stage of output - high. This can be costly for your energy bills in the winter since every time your furnace turns on, it's dispersing the most amount of energy it possibly can.

 

Multi-speed motors operate much more efficiently than a single stage furnace. The first operates the majority of the time in most climates, and runs at about 65% of the furnace's full capacity. When the temperature outside becomes extremely cold, the second stage kicks on to provide the additional heat. In addition, a 2 stage furnace is much quieter since it doesn't operate at 100% capacity every time it runs and creates less carbon dioxide emissions for the environment.

 

Variable-speed motors have a fan motor that can move at different speeds to control the amount of heated air dispersed throughout your home. Better airflow results in a more comfortable environment and less energy consumption results in lower utility bills. They may cost more upfront, but will quickly make up for it in saved energy costs.

 

AFUE stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency and it measures the efficiency of a gas furnace. The higher the percentage, the more efficient your machine. AFUE is a ratio: Annual heat output of a furnace or boiler versus total annual fossil fuel energy consumed by the furnace or boiler. If your rating is 80 percent than 80 percent of the energy consumed is being used to heat your home and the other 20 percent escapes as exhaust. Consumer Reports says that a 90 percent AFUE can cost about $1,000 more than a similar sized 80 percent AFUE,  but “that additional cost can generally be recouped in lower fuel bills over the lifetime of the furnace.”