What is HVAC Zoning? Comfort and Efficiency
When the temperature outside is rising it can be difficult to maintain a comfortable temperature in areas of your home. If you are constantly running your air conditioner, your energy bills could see some extreme rises in energy costs. There are multiple reasons why homes can have hot or cold zones with central heating/cooling some factors include direct sunlight onto part of the home, poor ventilation, poor insulation, drafty windows and/or outdated HVAC equipment. Why continue to spend fortunes trying to keep your home comfortable, when bringing an HVAC expert into your home to find out what zoning issues your home may have can increase your comfort and save you money.
Comfort is the main benefit of HVAC zoning. Many homes have rooms that are hotter or colder than the rest of the house and even with the HVAC system constantly running the system is still unable to reach the desired temperature in one zone of the home. When you have a zoned HVAC system you can control the temperatures in different rooms of the house by a thermostat. If your bedroom is warmer than the rest of the house simply go to the zoned thermostat and adjust the desired temperature to improve the comfort in that area of the home.
Who wouldn't want a lower energy bill? HVAC zoning will not only help control the temperature in different areas of the home but it can also help lower your energy bill up to 30 percent, according to the U.S Department of Energy. A zoned HVAC system will allow you to adjust the comfort in different parts of the home, instead of trying to run your HVAC system until the entire home is a comfortable temperature. A standard HVAC system will distribute air throughout the entire home through the vents. This can use a lot of unnecessary energy to cool or heat rooms that no one is using, for example, a spare bedroom or a basement.
How does zoning work? A traditional zoning system will have dampers, a control panel and a way to control the temperature for each zone. These all work together to control which areas of the home receive more or less of the desired warm or cool air.
Dampers are installed into the most accessible part of the ductwork, they will control the amount of the warm or cool air that will pass through that area of the home. Some would think that closing the vents in different areas of the home would help to distribute the air more properly but unlike dampers, closing the vents manually still allows the warm or cool air to pass through the ductwork into the undesired rooms. Dampers will close or open the duct access to those areas vents and route the air to the area of the home that needs more airflow to reach the desired temperature.
Washougal Heating & Cooling is family owned and operated, and have been serving the SW Washington and Portland area since 1952. Call us at (360) 835-3121 to schedule your free in-home zoning estimate. We look forward to working with you!