Many of us enjoy the satisfaction of standing over the air supply register when the furnace kicks in, warming our cold toes first thing in the morning. 

Unfortunately, that usually means that you have a single-stage furnace that only discharges air at one rate. That also means that you have one of the least efficient distribution systems for delivering your warmed air. 

When it comes to air delivery, slow and steady wins the race and saves you money. 

If you’re in the market to purchase a new furnace, consider spending a little more money now to save you much more down the road. 

At the very least, you should consider a two-stage furnace. A two-stage furnace will run on the low setting when only little adjustments to your heat are needed, rather than short bursts of heat at full blower speeds — this is called short cycling and can cause unnecessary wear on your system.

Another option is a variable-speed blower. This allows your system to pick the best delivery speed according to the demand. The downside is the velocity of the air discharging at the register — no more warming the toes over the register — and the added cost. The upside is the added efficiency, balanced comfort and savings in energy consumption.