Zoning Systems Offer Comfort Control in Every Room of Your House
Adding a zoning system to your HVAC system, whether you’re replacing it or retrofitting it assures you that your home will be comfortable for the whole family. Instead of having your forced-air heating and cooling system controlled by a single thermostat, a zoned home uses thermostats installed in specific places throughout.
By their nature, homes require different amounts of conditioned air. Second floor rooms are always warmer, and rooms with north and east exposure need more heat in the winter.
Zoning systems use automated dampers in the ducts to control the flow of air based on its need for heated or cooled air. Each zone has its own thermostat that is wired to a central control panel which tells the HVAC system where to send the conditioned air.
If your home has:
- Multiple stories.
- Large expanses of windows or raised ceiling plates in one area.
- Rooms you seldom use.
- Family members who have different temperature preferences.
it’s likely a good candidate for a zoning system.
It can have as many zones as you like or as few as two. You and your HVAC technician will assess your home’s layout, its ductwork design and your preferences to assign individual zones. Although it’s an investment for an existing system, it will save energy and cut conditioning bills, and even extend the life of your equipment because it won’t run at full capacity as often.
The U.S. Department of Energy reports that a zoned home with programmable thermostats can use up to 30 percent less energy than a home with just one zone. If your family gathers in one place in the evening, or all the bedrooms are one floor, it’s easy to set its thermostat based on occupancy rather than conditioning them even when they’re not in use
.A zoning system ensures individual comfort throughout your home and cuts energy costs as well.