|
To air condition a home (or commercial building) and install just one thermostat has been the norm for decades. But in most cases it seldom works very well. In a home, the thermostat is likely located in or near a main room such as the living room. That room is kept at the desired temperature while other rooms may or may not be kept at a comfortable temperature. Rooms with more windows or sun exposure are often very uncomfortable in the cooling and heating seasons. Second floor rooms can be unbearably hot in the summer and no better in the winter! While you bake on the second floor you freeze on the first floor! A single thermostat only measures the temperature at it's location, turning the system on or off based on that one temperature reading. What can be done? You could install multiple systems to individually take care of each room, but this is cost prohibitive. A very effective solution in terms of comfort and cost is zoning. A real plus is that zoning can be installed in existing systems as well as new installations, so if you want to upgrade your existing system, you can. With a properly zoned system you have control of the temperature in each of the zones. Want the living room at 76 degrees? No problem! Want the upstairs master bedroom at 73 degrees? Yes, you can do that, too! What about that spare bedroom? Sure set it for 78 degrees. Winter or summer you control the temperatures in each of the zones. You can even heat one zone and then cool another zone. Some available systems allow you to set temperatures via your computer or even your smart phone.
Some questions and some answers:
Can zoning be installed in an existing home? Yes. In most cases (as mentioned above) the zoning system can be installed utilizing the existing air conditioning equipment and duct work. Some modifications to the duct work are normally required.
Will it require a lot of holes drilled in my walls? With the new wireless systems - in most cases - you don't drill any holes. With a conventionally wired system the holes are about 1 inch in diameter.
Will a zoning system save me money? In many cases it can, when the thermostats are properly programmed. Properly cooling (neither 'over cooled' or 'over heated') occupied areas of your home saves money. In addition, being able to control the temperature in areas that are unoccupied separately from those which are occupied, can net a savings. Remember a zoning system is all about comfort, with any energy savings as a bonus.
Have other questions? Contact us! We'll be happy to answer them.
Ready to get comfortable? GO ZONING!
|
