A zoning system is one of the more recent advancements in residential HVAC technology designed to increase comfort and save energy. Such a system divides your home into separate areas, each controlled by its own thermostat, and lets you keep each section at individual temperatures.
Sometimes it’s difficult to maintain an even temperature throughout a structure, whether it’s from its floorplan design or its orientation to the sun. Good candidates for zoning systems include homes that have:
- Multiple stories.
- Rooms that aren’t normally used.
- Unevenly distributed windows or larger windows in some areas than others.
- Raised ceiling plates in some rooms.
- Family members who have different thermal preferences or needs.
HVAC professionals connect each zone’s thermostat to a control panel that operates the HVAC system. When a zone’s thermostat calls for cooling or heating, the control panel sends a signal to the system and opens the automatic damper inside that zone’s ductwork. Conditioned air then flows to that area only.
The Benefits
- Zoning your home makes it more comfortable for everyone.
- It saves energy and lowers energy costs because you don’t need to cool or heat the entire home to make just one area comfortable. The greatest savings occur when you use programmable thermostats with the system to manage the temperatures in bedrooms and living areas.
- It may prolong the life of your HVAC system since it doesn’t work as hard when it runs.
- A zoning system can be installed as a retrofit or as part of a new HVAC system.
The Disadvantages
- It costs more to install.
- There are more parts to break down.
- Diagnosing problems will be more complicated.
The benefits of a zoning system outweigh the disadvantages and if you have a large, sprawling home or fight the battle of the thermostat often, consider, zoning it. You can learn more by contacting Ace Hardware Home Services, providing HVAC services for Dayton-area homeowners.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
