Zone into the Benefits of Zoning Systems

Have you ever wondered why it’s so difficult to heat or cool your entire house comfortably? While one floor might be fine, another might be too cold or too warm. Or you might have an add-on bedroom suite that stays chilly all winter. If your home suffers from one of these issues, it’s a good candidate for a zoning system. With a zoning system, you divide the house into two or more separate areas, or zones, then heat or cool them independently.

A zoning system utilizes mechanized duct dampers connected to separate programmable thermostats (or one control panel that operates multiple thermostats). When one zone (for example, the upstairs bedrooms) requires more cooling, the damper opens for that zone and cool air flows into those rooms. Areas receive heated or cooled air depending on climate conditions and the preference of occupants.

Situations Where Zoning Systems Make Sense Include:

• Multi-floor homes. Warm air rises and damp, chilly conditions are common in finished basements. So the climate situation on the main floor, where a lone whole-house thermostat is usually located, isn’t likely to reflect what’s happening in other levels of the home.
• Rooms with vaulted ceilings or banks of windows facing the afternoon usually heat and cool differently from other areas.
• Rooms or additions constructed with different building materials or insulation will have different climate situations.

Benefits of Zoning Systems Include:

• Energy savings. With separate thermostats, you don’t have to heat or cool areas that are unoccupied.
• Less stress on equipment. An HVAC system that’s not struggling to heat or cool an entire home will have fewer breakdowns.
• Family harmony will be preserved when brother Jack isn’t arguing with sister Mary about the temperature setting on the thermostat. They can go to different parts of the house.
• You can enjoy the use of your entire home, avoiding the common situation where a difficult to heat or cool room becomes a no man’s land.

To discuss how a zoning system can make your Corpus Christi area home more comfortable and energy efficient, please contact us at CCAC, Inc.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about zoning systems and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 361-678-2495.

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