With a home zoned heating and cooling system, you can customize the comfort of each part of your house. That also means you can cut down on wasted energy, especially in rooms that you barely spend any time in!

What is a Home Zone System?

A home zone system is a heating and cooling system that divides the house into different zones, just like it sounds. Each zone typically has a separate thermostat to help manage the heating and cooling of that part of the house.

Each zone also has electronic dampers in the ductwork which can help control the amount of hot or cold air that is sent to each zone.

In order to set up a “zoned home,” you just set each thermostat to the temperature you want for that area, and your system opens or closes the dampers enough to achieve that desired temperature. This way, you are saving money by not over-heating or over-cooling parts of your house that don’t need to be at that temperature. If you’re thinking of your basement, attic, front or back of your house that’s always a different temperature than you’d like – this might be a solution for you!

Here are 4 situations when a zoned home might be a solution for you.

1. Multi-story homes. Many people have homes that have an upstairs and a lower level. If you do, you are well aware that hot air rises in the home, and as a result your top floors are going to consistently be warmer than your other levels. If you make each floor a zone, you can better control the temperature across your home, which means saved energy and a more comfortable, even temperature no matter what level you are on!
2. Rooms you don’t often use or spend time in. People with studies, guest rooms, attics, or sometimes even a basement, aren’t always using all the areas of their home on a regular basis. You shouldn’t be paying to cool or heat those areas, just like you are paying to cool or heat areas like the kitchen or your bedroom – areas that you often occupy! When you split your home into zones, you no longer have to spend so much energy to keep those areas at the same temperature as the rest of the house – until you want to.
3. Different preferences on the desired temperature of the house. Do you have that family member who is always cold, or maybe always warmer than everyone else? Or maybe your house is divided – and some people like it cooler, and some people like it a bit warmer. If this sounds familiar, home zoning is one way to keep everyone happy and at the temperature that makes them feel comfortable!
4. Sun or large windows that impact the air in your home. North-facing and south-facing rooms have naturally different temperatures, and if you have high ceiling or windows, this can also impact how your home is naturally being heated or cooled. In the past, you may have found that customizing each area of the home would almost be impossible because of these factors. Now, with home zoning , you can have different temperature control zones that give you greater control of your comfort but also reduce your energy consumption.

But is home zoning worth the installation cost, including in an existing home?  

It’s true that home zones are most commonly installed in new construction, or when you are replacing the HVAC units in your home, but remember that they can be cost-effective even as a separate project. Additionally, remember that you comfort can be greatly impacted, which can be worth that investment.

Ready to keep every area of your home at the right temperature?

Home zone systems come in a variety of costs and configurations. They include an electronic damper installed into the ductwork for each zone, controlled by a thermostat located in the zone, and wired through a central control panel.

Generally speaking, some also include redesigning of the ductwork layout to improve your zone efficiency, and more advanced devices to balance the air pressure in the ducts and for other improvements to the process. In a large home, or in some cases, in historic/older homes where comfort throughout the house is hard to achieve, two separate heating and cooling systems can be installed to further increase efficiency.

Call Greater Comfort For Your Indoor Comfort Needs

By having the experts at Greater Comfort take a look at your home, we can help you find the solution that can give you greater control over the temperature in your home. Want to learn more? Give the experts at Greater Comfort a call today at 859-491-4915.