There are three different types of furnaces available.

• Single-stage furnace – the most common furnace installed in new homes. This is an entry-level builders’ model.
• Two-stage furnace – Best value for your home. This is the best furnace for residential homes. This is the furnace that SaskEnergy offers a grant. Learn more about the SaskEnergy Rebates.
• Fully modulated furnace – It boasts increased energy efficiency and better control over temperatures.

The most common furnace we install is the Two-Stage furnace. A two-stage furnace is the best replacement for the builder model. It works best in residential homes with more than one floor and allows you to control the temperature better than the single stage.

A modulating furnace keeps your home within one to two degrees of the temperature you set. The furnace will run more often than a single or two-stage. A two-stage furnace will turn on or off to keep your home at the right temperature while a modulating furnace will stay on to keep the temperature more consistent. It increases and decreases the flame to keep temperatures consistent.

A modulating furnace is on more often and this means it can seem noisier than a two-stage furnace. Here are a few of the differences between two-stage and modulating furnaces:

• A modulating furnace is on more often and noisier because of it
• A modulating furnace is more expensive
• The modulating furnace is slightly more eco-friendly
• Modulating furnaces have a larger SaskEnergy rebate available (ask us how to get yours today!)
• A modulating furnace is more expensive than a 2-stage

In our opinion the modulating furnace is a nice furnace to have but likely more than your home needs. A two-stage furnace will get you a very similar output without the high price tag. Your energy savings between the two will not make up for the difference in price. Generally, the difference in the eco-friendly nature of the modulating furnace is about 1% in the annual fuel utilization (AFUE) efficiency rating.

Additional costs of a modulating furnace include the type of controller used to control the furnace.  If you use a regular single or 2-stage controller or thermostat to control the modulating furnace they are no more efficient than a 2-stage and might actually be less efficient because they are not able to modulate the furnace to unlock the full potential.