Even if it’s brand new, chances are you have rooms in your house that you wish were either a little warmer or cooler. That front room might have great sun exposure, but it is also difficult to keep at a comfortable temperature. Or basement is always too cold for guests to enjoy. Heating and cooling for the whole house can be costly due to inefficient or outdated HVAC systems that don’t use system zoning.
What Is System Zoning and How Can It Help Me?
HVAC system zoning uses multiple thermostats linked to a common control panel to operate dampers in your home’s ductwork. Thermostats in different zones of your house continually monitor temperatures for each zone, opening and closing dampers as programmed in your control panel.
System zoning can help you in a number of ways:
Zoning allows you to manage different room temperature inconsistencies.
Zoning gives you greater control of the temperature of each room in your house.
Zoning helps save money by lowering the heating or cooling for rarely used rooms.
Because zoning is more energy-efficient, it is better for the environment.
What Kind of Savings Can I Expect?
If you add system zoning to your house, just how much can you expect to save money on your energy costs? The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that system zoning can reduce heating and cooling costs for homeowners by 30 percent. And since heating and cooling usually account for about 40 percent of total utility costs, the money you save can be significant. Homeowners are often hesitant to add zoning to their HVAC systems, usually because of perceived high installation costs. Although system zoning will reduce energy costs by up to 30 percent, installing dampers and multiple thermostats is an additional cost when you replace your HVAC system.
Some homeowners do not yet need to replace an older HVAC system. Naturally, these homeowners are not going to want to pay for updates to their home’s ductwork to add dampers for each zone. Fortunately for those in this category, the Department of Energy’s Inventions and Innovation Program has created a damper system that can be used with existing ductwork and HVAC systems. This allows homeowners to take advantage of system zoning, without having to replace their existing HVAC system.
System zoning represents an excellent opportunity to take greater control of the temperatures in your house and to save money on utility costs in the long run. The HVAC professionals at R&D Indoor Comfort would be happy to talk to you about improving the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems. Contact us for a free consultation.