Zoning Systems Optimize Whole Home HVAC Function

Heating or cooling your Fairfax home to a comfortable level is no easy task. No matter where you set the temperature, one part of the house is always too hot and another is too cold. The result is a thermostat war: different family members continually readjusting the thermostat to meet their own comfort needs. This wastes energy, overworks the HVAC system, causes damage, and ultimately shortens its life span. Fortunately, there’s a solution that will make everyone in the house comfortable: install a zoning system.

What Is a Zoning System?

An ordinary HVAC system heats or cools the entire house based on the reading of a single thermostat. But when that room reaches its target temperature, the rooms above will be up to 10 degrees warmer, since heat rises. A variety of factors cause houses to heat or cool unevenly from one room to another, resulting in disparate temperatures throughout the house.

A zoning system divides the house into sections based on their individual heating and cooling needs and places a thermostat in each zone. If the furnace is on and the upstairs is getting too hot, the system delivers less heat to that zone. This not only increases comfort but saves energy, as it doesn’t heat or cool any room more than necessary, as regular HVAC systems go.

In addition, you can program the system to heat only certain zones at certain times, depending on what rooms are in use. If everyone’s downstairs watching TV in the family room, you don’t need extra air flowing upstairs to the empty bedrooms. Instead, you can turn that zone off and save energy.

Who Benefits From a Zoning System?

Would your house benefit this type of temperature control system? It’s likely if you’ve got:

• A multi-level home
• A sprawling, ranch-style home
• Large glass windows or doors
• High, cathedral-style ceilings
• Different temperature needs for different areas of your home

Learn more about setting up a zoning system in your home with Brennan’s Heating & Air or contact us today at 703-291-1677.