Why Is a 2-Stage Air Conditioner Important?

Do you need a new air conditioner? Now may be the time to implement one of the most energy-efficient upgrades you’ll ever get for your home. Most homes are still equipped with a single-stage air conditioner, but a replacement gives you the ability to install a two-stage system which can help you save an abundance of energy and money.

What Is a Two-Stage Air Conditioner?

Think about your home’s air conditioning system for a moment. Odds are it’s a pretty simple system: you switch it on and it powers up to full blast to cool your home down. Seems logical enough, right? Well not exactly. During milder days, you may not need full power to keep your home comfortable. Full-power air conditioning will result in a phenomenon known as “short cycling,” which is where your system constantly turns itself on and off in shorter spurts. Powering up is when your air conditioner is at its least efficient, and that means you could be burning a lot more energy than you really need to.

A two-stage air conditioner solves this problem by giving you two different operating strengths: the same high-speed, full-blast setting that you’re used to, and a lower-speed setting designed to offer you reduced energy consumption as well as lower cooling power. This setting is great for milder days where you only need a little bit of extra cooling power. Not only does it save you energy, but it helps you stay cool with normal cycling times and only a small fraction of the energy usage.

Why You Need a Two-Stage Air Conditioner

So why should you spend the extra money upgrading to a two-stage air conditioner? While there are several reasons, there are two in particular which stand out: greater energy efficiency, and greater home comfort, especially in climates like we have here in Ohio.

Greater energy efficiency: This one more or less speaks for itself. A more efficient heating and cooling system is one which uses less energy, and using less energy means lower utility bills, more money back in your pocket, and a reduced carbon footprint (which is never a bad thing). And here’s the best part: you’ll use this lower setting far more frequently than your full-power setting. In fact, you’ll use your reduced-power setting roughly 80 percent of the time, which means optimal comfort with a significantly reduced energy consumption.

Greater comfort: Two-stage air conditioners typically run more often and longer. We’ve explained why that can help you in terms of energy costs, but that quality actually also helps you when it comes to your home comfort. Because these systems have to run longer and more consistently, that means they spend far more time screening airborne contaminants like dust or pollen out of your air, increasing your indoor air quality. It also means they spend more time pulling air over your cooling coils, which means your system will pull far more humidity and moisture out of the air, leaving you feeling cooler and drier. When you think of an Ohio summer and just how painfully humid it can get, the idea of even more reduced humidity probably sounds like music to your ears.

Should I Get a Single-Stage or Two-Stage AC?

Should you invest in one of these two-stage systems? For the average homeowner in the Cleveland area of Ohio, a two-stage system is absolutely worthwhile. The reduced energy costs and added comfort make them well worth the extra investment, and the energy savings can even help them recoup their added cost in a short period of time.

However, they aren’t perfect for everyone. If you’re on a tighter budget, a two-stage air conditioner may simply be beyond your price limit, and that means you should stick with a single-stage system to make sure you remain cool and comfortable. However, if you really want to invest in one of these energy-saving systems, we also offer a range of flexible financing options to make getting the upgrade you need affordable for you!

Contact the Cleveland heating and cooling experts from Arco Home Services at (216) 202-3778 today to learn more about upgrading to a quality two-stage cooling system!