Custom Zone Control Design

Why a Zoned System?

Imagine a home with just one light switch in which the owner could only turn the lights on or off as a group. A forced air HVAC system with just one thermostat is a similar all or nothing control problem: to get air where you need it, you must send it everywhere. At ZoneMasters AC and Heating, we see users everyday who are sacrificing their comfort in an attempt to save energy. With a zoned system and its dampers, you can enjoy perfect comfort wherever you are and still save huge amounts of energy by restricting airflow to areas not in use. In this way, your air conditioner is just like your lights system, you only use them when you need them.

Zoning systems are great for solving comfort problems and are often called 'automatic balancing systems'. With multiple thermostats and duct dampers serving a single HVAC system, zoning systems can eliminate hot and cold spots. It's easy to see how zoning systems save energy. Areas not used can be deeply set back for maximum energy savings, while occupied areas have perfect temperature control from a nearby thermostat.

A zoning system does yet even more than control certain areas of your home. Over-cooled or over-heated areas are eliminated, stretching the capacity of the HVAC equipment. For instance: a room with a western exposure can never get the right amount of airflow. In the morning, with the sun in the east, the room probably gets too much airflow as opposed to the afternoon when it receives too little. With the efficiency of a zoned system, that western exposure gets exactly the amount of airflow it requires, no more and no less.

In instances of a home having areas of deep setback, the entire capacity of the HVAC unit can be directed to that zone and allow for quick recovery. Independent tests conclude that zoning systems can save thirty percent or more on heating and cooling bills! What your application may save depends on how you decide to use the system. But no matter how you choose to use it, this type of system is a powerful air management tool that maximizes comfort and savings.