Variable-Speed Blower Motors And What They Mean For Your Home Comfort

The technology incorporated in a variable-speed blower motor can make your existing blower extinct. Conventional blowers have been at an efficiency dead-end for some time. Powered by old-school, permanent split capacitor motors, these units offer only two speeds: on and off. When the blower’s energized, it delivers 100 percent output. When the furnace or A/C cuts out: zero. These extremes fail to deliver optimum efficiency or consistent comfort.

A variable-speed blower incorporates electronically commutated motor (ECM) technology that adjusts output according to the heating and cooling requirements of your home. The blower runs almost continuously, gradually ramping up to 60 percent output as signaled by a controller or a preset program, then incrementally dropping to a lower output between furnace or A/C run cycles.

Here are some of the benefits of variable airflow in your home comfort system:

• Even the most efficient permanent split capacitor motors cannot exceed 60 percent efficiency. ECM blowers draw far less electricity, offering a minimum of 80 percent efficiency and reducing heating and cooling costs.

• Continuous lower airflow keeps comfort levels in the home more consistent. Temperature spikes and slumps are smoothed out and operation is quieter, without the roaring sound of rushing air.

• Lower air volume airflow also makes critical components of your cooling and heating system perform more effectively. In air conditioning mode, the evaporator coil extracts humidity more efficiently. When the furnace is on, continuous airflow keeps warmth circulating down into living spaces for greater comfort, preventing the accumulation of hot air at the ceiling of rooms.

• Indoor air quality is improved by continuous air circulation. Filter media functions more efficiently at lower airflow rates, removing more airborne contaminants and allergens. Because there is no off-cycle where air circulation stops, airborne particulates are continuously drawn into ducts and filtered, rather than remaining suspended in the air and inhaled.

Sobieski Services offers the latest upgrades to your heating and cooling systems like the energy-efficient, comfort-boosting variable-speed blower motor. Our goal is to help educate our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).

Image Credit: kevin dooley