Zoning System Design That Gets Results

If you’re thinking about adding a zoning system to your Delaware-area home, you have the opportunity to take advantage of several comfort-enhancing and energy-saving benefits. However, you will only appreciate these benefits to the fullest if you follow these zoning system design rules.

• Give each floor its own zone. Nature’s law dictates that heat rises, so the top floor in your home is likely to be warmer than the ground floor, which is warmer than the basement. If you create a zoning system design where these levels are zoned separately, you can control the temperature on each level independently. This makes it possible to achieve the ideal temperature on every floor.
• Give additions their own zone. A home add-on likely has better insulation than the rest of your home because it was probably constructed after higher insulation code requirements were passed. That means, to keep it as comfortable as other rooms, it should have its own zone and thermostat.
• Zone rooms internal to the structure separately. Most rooms in your home have at least one perimeter wall, making them susceptible to outdoor temperature changes. If any rooms exist that are entirely internal to the structure, they should be grouped in their own zone whenever possible.
• Install thermostats in a central location. Each zone needs its own programmable thermostat, which should be installed in that zone’s most used room so you’re sure to be comfortable in the room where you spend the most time.
• Ensure at least two registers exist in each zone. You ensure proper airflow and pressure balance when each zone has two or more supply registers. There should also be at least one return register in each zone for optimal comfort in your zoning system design.
• Zone rooms with conflicting solar heat gain separately. This means west- and east-facing rooms should have their own zones to keep each room as comfortable as possible throughout the day.

For more zoning system design tips or for answers to other heating and cooling questions, please contact Sobieski Services.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Wilmington, Delaware and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).

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