Have you heard of a two stage furnace, but are not quite sure what that is? A two stage furnace is simply a gas furnace that has two heat settings, low and high. Furnaces should be sized using a load calculation program, which takes into account the home’s efficiency (windows, insulation value, etc.), as well as cubic footage, and weather data for the area. The design temperature is generally pretty low, 23° for Salem,OR, so with the mild temperatures that we generally see in the Willamette Valley, a furnace sized at 23° will be oversized majority of the time. A two stage furnace allows us to size for those extreme temperatures, while being able to run at a lower heat setting on a more mild day. This feature not only saves you money on energy costs, but also makes for a much more comfortable home. The best two stage furnaces not only have a very high gas utilization efficiency, around 96%, but they are also equipped with variable speed fans that have an electronically communicated motor (ECM). With this feature, these furnaces qualify for a $352 state tax credit for the 2014 tax year, which is a nice bonus. Our two stage furnace of choice is a Rheem R96V. This furnace is very quiet, very efficient, and very reliable. If you would like to set up a free in home consultation to learn more about this furnace, or any others, please click here, and fill out the request form.