Sacramento summers can get hot, and your energy bills can really go up when you’re running your air conditioner most of the time. With a two-stage air conditioner, however, you can control your cooling costs, even when you’re relying heavily on your system. This is because the compressor has two stages. It can run at 100 percent capacity, or it can run at about two-thirds of that capacity. The blower in your system accommodates this setup, also running at high and low speed.

A single-stage air conditioner runs at high speed until it reaches the desired temperature and then cycles off.  The constant on and off cycling can be highly inefficient and hard on your equipment.

But a two-speed cooling system runs at the lower speed about 80 percent of the time. This provides sufficient cooling and dehumidification. And it’s efficient, because the cycles are longer. When your system runs at the lower speed most of the time, your energy bills go down. When it gets really hot, though, the system ramps up and cools at full speed. So you don’t sacrifice any comfort. This kind of system has three key advantages:

• You’ll save money. Because the system is running at the low speed most of the time, you could see a drop in your energy bills of 15 to 30 percent.
• Quiet operation. A unit that runs at low speed isn’t as loud as a system that runs at high speed.
• Better dehumidification. A system that’s running most of the time can do a better job of removing moisture from the air than a system that’s going on and off all of the time.

To learn more about two-stage cooling, contact the professionals at All Year Heating, Air & Solar. We serve homeowners in the Sacramento area, and we’re happy to answer all of your questions.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about air conditioners and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

All Year services the Greater Sacramento area.  Visit our website to see our special offers to get started today!