Many homes use one thermostat to regulate temperatures for the entire house, despite the fact that different parts of the house have different climate-control needs. For families that want greater control over the heating and cooling levels in their home, however, a zoning system makes a great option. Rather than struggling to maintain one temperature for the whole house, zoning divides the home into more than one section, each with its own separate temperature control. Each zone might be a single room or multiple rooms.
Zoning works by using a series of dampers in the ductwork to direct or block the flow of air to various parts of the home as needed. The system offers a number of advantages:
- Family preferences — If members of your family are comfortable at different temperatures, zoning lets them occupy different areas of the home while setting the temperatures that make them feel comfortable.
- Consistency — A standard heating and cooling system does not provide a consistent temperature to the whole house. Because warm air rises and cool air drops, the temperature in an upstairs room can be 6 to 10 degrees warmer than the rooms below, while a finished basement might be 6 to 10 degrees cooler than the living space above. Most thermostats only respond to the temperatures in the room where they are placed and can’t regulate the temperatures in other rooms. Zoning solves this problem, since each zone has its own thermostat.
- Use — Zoning allows you to base your temperature settings on whether a room or set of rooms is being used. For instance, since bedrooms are most often used at night, keeping the settings in those rooms at a lower level during the day saves energy. This increased energy efficiency can lead to significant monthly saving on your monthly utility bills.
Zoning systems work particularly well in houses with multiple levels, a spread-out design, a finished attic or basement space, or large windows. For more information about zoning and other issues related to home comfort, please contact us at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning. We have served the Fresno area for more than 40 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area 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 Resource guide.
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