gas/electric switch
yeah, here's what that switch does, as far as what i understand.
with a gas furnace, when the thermostat signals heat, the burners light and run for a few minutes to preheat the exchanger, then the fan starts. when the thermostat says the set temp has been reached, it shuts off the burners but keeps the fan running a few minutes to get as much residual heat out of the exchanger as possible.
when you turn the thermostat to "electric" the thermostat does not preheat the exchanger or leave the fan running after the set temp because electric furnaces are instantly hot, and practically instantly cold. so there's no need to delay the fan in any case.
that's all. i've tried it with my Hunter digital thermostat. Our apartment has a gas furnace, and when it's set to "electric" the fan delays are eliminated.