The Importance of Proper Zoning For Your HVAC System
Posted by Moore Home Services
HVAC Basics
An HVAC zoning system gives you the best possible climate control for your residence. Having a zoning system properly designed to fit your home is like having a different HVAC system in each part of your house… which comes in handy for homes that have different “areas” including bedrooms and living areas. In addition to providing you with total comfort throughout the year, a zoning system design for your home also saves money.
Different areas of your home have different climate control needs that can vary throughout the day. One of the best examples of this is the sun heating up portions of your home as it moves across the sky. By having a well-planned zoning system design, you can control the climate in each area of your home, much the same way as you control the lights.
A typical 2-story home is supplied by a single HVAC unit, with 1/2 of air conditioning or heating going to each level, all of the time. Therefore each level consumes an equal 1/2 of your HVAC energy bills.
If that same home were to use zoning, only a small percentage of the total daily energy consumption would go to each level: If the main level needs heat, then only it gets heat. If the second story is only used part of the day, then it only needs energy for that part of the day.
A programmable thermostat can easily control each zone of your home. So if the only time you are in the master bedroom is at night, you can set the thermostat to only heat or cool the master bedroom at night, saving energy and money. The programs can be reset or overridden at any time, depending on your schedule and needs.
In addition, zoning reduces the number of times your HVAC system cycles on and off, saving money as well as prolonging the life of the system.
Overall, a zoning system design provides numerous benefits for homeowners, making it less expensive to operate than multiple systems, giving the ability to have temperature control in each zone, lower operating costs and using less power.
Zoning system designs do have some limitations, however. There are no small zones. In other words, you can’t heat a bedroom and its next-door bathroom separately. You need to have a 2-stage air conditioner as well as variable speed blower or air handler or furnace.
Depending on the size of the home and its exposure, 2 to 3 zones are often optimum, but it can be too much for a single speed system to handle. A professional HVAC system contractor like us can design the zoning system that best works for your needs, taking not only the system into account but the accompanying ductwork and other factors as well.
