In any home with standard heating and cooling units, you likely have one thermostat in a common area, like the living room, that gauges the temperature for the whole house. While this will usually result in the set temperature for most of house, certain rooms may not be as comfortable. You may have a spare bedroom that doesn’t warm up, or an office that is roasting! The reasons for this are varied – including insulation problems and drafty windows. This is where zoned air systems can be an enormous aid.
What is a Zoned Air System?
Instead of having only one thermostat in the central area, multiple thermostats are used to break the house into independent “zones” of cooling and heating. Your typical zoning system uses the current ductwork in place and dampers are placed along the ducts, directing your heated or cooled air where you want it to go. The direction is determined by separate thermostats in the rooms of your choice, all going back to the main control.
The thermostats affect the dampers, the air is pumped out the vents of your home and the overall result is more temperature control throughout your home! Ductless solutions are also an option, creating control over individual rooms. With either dampers or ductless, when a zoned air system is designed well, there are multiple benefits that this system can bring to you:
- Precise Control
Outside forces (such as the sun and wind hitting different sides of the house) and inside variables (like having the oven on or running a very hot shower) create differing temperatures throughout the day. With zoned air, you don’t have to change the temperature for the whole house just to adjust one room. Every zone is managed independently, resulting in higher temperature accuracy.
- Longer System Lifespan
When you have uneven temperatures in the household, many homeowners adjust the thermostat to try to compensate for the difference, and kicking the HVAC system on more often wears it down faster. Your HVAC system is likely one of the more expensive investments of your household and any break it can get will help it live longer. With optimal temperatures achieved, there’s no need to adjust. Your system will likely not have to run at full blast, tacking more time onto your system’s life.
- Energy Efficiency
By using dampers, you only direct air to rooms in use. This cuts down massively on your home’s energy consumption for heating and cooling when used properly: energy being used to get the specific temperature you need, exactly where you need it. Now that’s maximum efficiency! When you pair a zoned air system with a programmable thermostat, this can lead to significant energy savings for your household… up to 30 percent!
- Individual Comfort
Individual zones mean individual comfort. If living alone, this means you can have the comfort follow you as you switch rooms throughout the day. If you have a family, other members can sit cozily in a warmer living room while you have a cooler study. Someone can cook a meal and be comfortably cool but not have to freeze out someone in the dining room! One can work out in one room while another quietly reads, in their own perfectly conditioned space.
Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric wants you to be comfortable throughout the year, and our expert technicians are eager to help you fine-tune your control over that comfort. If zoning is something you feel your home could benefit from, our experts can help you assess your home’s layout and suggest how to best assist your unique situation. Our preferred vendor is Daikin, who takes it a step further by providing ductless zoning. For comfort you can count on, give us a call at (813) 530-9061 from 7AM to 11PM – or fill out our online form today!
