How Does Your Air Handler Impacts Efficiency?

How Does Your Air Handler Impacts Efficiency?

Your air handler is a part of your heating and cooling system that can seriously affect energy efficiency. Sacramento is blessed with periods of mild weather, when you may want to use your central A/C or furnace — but without the full force of the blower fan. That’s where variable-speed air handlers come in for many homeowners.

Variable-speed air handlers have blower fans that can move heated or cooled air through your ductwork at a variety of speeds. Single-speed blower fans are only capable of being in the on or off position, so they operate at full force even when you don’t need them to. Variable-speed blowers operate with more precision, only powering the blower motor as much as necessary to attain the optimal indoor temperature.

A variable-speed air handler has other benefits as well:

  • Humidity. A variable-speed air handler can remove up to four times more moisture from the air as a conventional unit. This means better home comfort for you, and possibly lower utility bills. Air with less humidity feels cooler, so you can adjust your thermostat to save energy.
  • Noise. Most of the time, the blower fan will only need to operate at the lower speed, which produces less noise than the full speed.
  • Energy efficiency. Variable-speed air handlers consume less energy and therefore cost less to operate, because the motor runs at a slower speed most of the time. These savings can add up on monthly heating and cooling bills.
  • Home comfort. Instead of delivering an initial blast of hot or cold air, variable-speed units gradually increase in speed, so airflow is more consistent and even.
  • Indoor air quality. Operation at lower speeds means that more particles are able to stick to the air filter because they are drawn through more slowly. This translates to cleaner air in your home and better protection of your valuable heating and cooling equipment.

Questions? The professionals at All Year Heating, Air & Solar are here to help you find the best heating and cooling solutions for your home. Contact us anytime to schedule an appointment to ask for expert advice.

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