A furnace that stops heating before the residence is warm on cold nights may have an issue with which setting?

The heat anticipator setting is crucial in controlling how the furnace operates in relation to achieving the desired temperature in the home. The heat anticipator is a mechanism within the thermostat that predicts when the home will reach the set temperature and turns off the heating system a little early to prevent overshooting the target temperature. If the heat anticipator is set too low or too inaccurately, the furnace will turn off before the home reaches the desired comfort level, especially on cold nights when additional heat might be necessary to maintain warmth.

An issue with thermostat calibration could cause similar problems, but it is more directly tied to incorrect readings of the current temperature. Gas valve adjustments typically would affect the supply of gas to the burners, potentially causing issues with flame strength but not directly with early shutdowns. Lastly, blower speed settings relate to the distribution of heat in the house, but they would not inherently cause the furnace to stop heating prematurely. Therefore, the heat anticipator setting is the most relevant factor affecting the operation of the furnace in terms of unexpectedly short heating cycles.