Standard HVAC systems attempt to cool or heat the entire home when they cycle. One drawback is that you’re pushing conditioned air into areas that may not need it, driving down heating and cooling efficiency. The solution is installing zones in your home. This guide explores what a zoned HVAC system is, the kinds of zoning available, and the benefits zoning has on your home’s comfort.
What Is a Zoned HVAC System?
Zoning is segmenting your home into smaller sections for the HVAC system to heat or cool. Zoned systems usually have a thermostat in each zone, allowing you to set the desired temperature in that particular zone. In basic systems, each zone may only have a sensor instead of a full thermostat, and the temperature is still centrally controlled at the primary thermostat.
When a zone doesn’t need conditioning, the HVAC system doesn’t expend any energy in that area. This keeps energy consumption directed specifically at those areas that need the heating or cooling most. In central systems, dampers in the ducts open and close to allow conditioned air into that zone or keep it moving to the zone that needs it. In ductless systems, the zoning control happens at the smaller air handlers.
Types of HVAC Zoning
There are a few ways to implement zoning in your home. Categorically, you can use dampers in your ducts for central systems or you can use a ductless mini-split system, which naturally creates zones in your home by utilizing several small air handlers around your home.
Within central systems, there are automatic electric dampers and manual dampers. Manual dampers have to be manually managed and therefore do not provide real-time comfort control. This option is sufficient when you just want a little control to manage zones effectively.
Automatic electric dampers are more common and provide more benefits. The thermostat opens and shuts the damper to the zone it controls. You set the temperature you want for the zone and the thermostat and damper motor will take care of everything from there.
Benefits of HVAC Zoning for Your Home Comfort
Zoned systems offer many benefits for your home’s HVAC system compared to standard single-zone operations. The following gives you some insight into the benefits you can expect when you install and leverage zones effectively.
More Accurate and Customized Comfort
One of the problems with standard central heating and cooling systems is the single thermostat controlling the temperature throughout the entire space. What it really does is control the temperature at the thermostat, and conditioned air is delivered throughout the rest of the house too. The result is often areas that remain too hot or too cool.
Zoned systems control the temperature in smaller sections of your home, allowing your system to more accurately keep each zone at the set temperature. Additionally, you can keep different zones at different temperatures to meet the exact needs of that zone.
Less Energy Consumption
When your HVAC system sends conditioned air only to the areas that need it, you improve the heating and cooling efficiency. Improved efficiency means you’ll run shorter heating and cooling cycles, reducing the energy you’ll consume for each cycle.
Reduced Noise
Standard HVAC systems push air through their entire systems when they run a cycle. This creates noise through the air vents throughout your house with every cycle and allows some of the fan noise to travel through each vent. Zone dampers act as a kind of sound insulation, stopping the fan noise from traveling. Further, when the zone isn’t open, there’s no noise from the air coming out of the system.
Easier to Sell Your Home
The impact a change will have on the attractiveness of your property to a potential buyer is usually an important consideration. Potential homebuyers are increasingly aware of things that may cost them down the road and things that will help save them money. Zoned HVAC systems are considered desirable because of their many benefits, including reduced heating and cooling costs and better home comfort. As such, it will make your property more attractive to potential buyers at a minimum. Depending on the market conditions, it may also increase the sale value of your home.
Convenient Control
Zoned HVAC systems make it easy and convenient to control the temperature throughout your home. With each zone having an independent thermostat, just set the temperature and the system will ensure that the area of the home is comfortable. Many zoned systems are compatible with smart thermostats, allowing you the added convenience of controlling the settings on your phone. Additionally, each smart thermostat will learn your needs when that area is used, allowing it to adjust the temperature to correlate to usage patterns. This further improves the system’s efficiency.
Fewer HVAC Repairs
Every HVAC system experiences wear as it runs, but the more work it has to do, the more wear it will experience. Standard systems are taxed more because of having to try to heat and cool the entire house all at the same time. By allowing the system to focus on just those areas that need conditioning, it experiences less wear, reducing the number of heating and air conditioning repairs you’ll require.
Extended Service Life
Modern HVAC systems have an expected service life of 15 to 20 years. Part of how you determine when it’s time for a replacement is considering the repair costs, so fewer repairs mean a longer service life. There are two ways to evaluate repair costs to determine when you need an AC or heating system replacement. The first is when any one repair costs more than 50% of a replacement.
For the second, add all of the repair costs over the last two years and multiply the sum by the system’s age. If this exceeds the cost of a new system, it’s time to replace the system. With this equation, it’s apparent how reducing even a few repairs can extend the system’s service life.
Improved Air Quality
An HVAC system has a secondary job of improving the air quality around your home, especially with a ductless mini-split system. This system pulls and returns air from the zone it serves, keeping any contaminant moved through the system in the same space. Additionally, ductless zoned systems have an air filter for each zone, effectively improving the system’s filtering capability.
Our Professional Technicians
For more than 20 years, property owners around Kirkland have trusted Black Lion Heating & Air Conditioning for their heating and cooling services needs. We have status as a Bryant Factory Authorized Dealer and employ only NATE-certified technicians. Our award-winning team provides heating and cooling installation, maintenance and repair, including zone installation, indoor air quality solutions, and duct cleaning services. We also provide residential electrical services, which include EV chargers, generator installation and repair, RV plugins, and hot tub wiring.
Call to schedule a consultation with one of our NATE-certified technicians to discuss whether your home could benefit from converting to a zoned system.