Energy costs can quickly add up when it comes to heating and cooling a house. By allowing for more precise regulation of heating and cooling distribution, an HVAC zoning system can help bring those expenses down. The question is, how much money can you save after installing one of these systems?
What Is an HVAC Zoning System?
One thermostat regulates the temperature across a typical HVAC system. This might result in wasteful energy consumption because unoccupied rooms are heated or cooled to the same degree as inhabited ones. A heating and cooling zoning system partitions your house into several sections, or “zones,” that you can control independently. Each zone has its own independently controllable thermostat, allowing for the heating or cooling of only the rooms and spaces that actually require it.
How Does HVAC Zoning Work?
HVAC zoning is a great way to control the temperature in your home by dividing it into zones and altering the airflow accordingly. The system opens the dampers that supply conditioned air to a specific zone when that zone requires heating or cooling. Dampers remain closed in zones that do not require conditioning, therefore denying those zones airflow.
Targeted Comfort and Reduced Energy Usage
Providing personalized temperature control to individual rooms is a major perk of HVAC zoning systems. Even if just a small number of rooms are in use, conventional systems require the entire house to maintain a constant temperature. This leads to wasted energy and higher utility costs.
Air conditioning zoning allows you to save energy by heating or cooling only the rooms that are really in use. For instance, you can condition the kitchen and living room during the day and then switch to the bedrooms at night. Your energy bills will go down significantly as a result of this method’s success in lowering energy usage and keeping the HVAC system from working harder than required.
Less Strain on HVAC Equipment
The need to keep the whole house at a constant temperature, even in unused rooms, makes traditional systems work harder than they need to. Over time, this extra activity might harm the system, necessitating repairs more often and increasing maintenance expenses.
Since the system is not attempting to condition the entire house simultaneously, HVAC zoning allows the system to run more efficiently. Your HVAC equipment will last longer thanks to less strain, which means less expensive repairs and a longer time before you have to replace the whole system.
Smart Thermostat Integration
When it comes to HVAC zoning systems, smart thermostats are a perfect match. Schedules, personalized learning and remote management via mobile apps are just a few of the features offered by some of today’s high-tech thermostats. Smart thermostats, when coupled with a zoning system, can maximize energy savings by adjusting the temperature in each zone according to your daily habits.
For example, if you have a habit of spending most of your time in the living room during specific hours, the thermostat can automatically regulate the temperature in that room while leaving other rooms unconditioned. With this level of customization, you can further reduce your energy bills and waste. And because it provides energy usage statistics, a smart thermostat can help you make informed adjustments to maximize savings.
Lower Heating and Cooling During Peak Times
Rates charged by energy providers tend to be higher during times of high demand, like the late afternoon and early evening. By using an HVAC zoning system, you can lower the temperature in some rooms during peak hours, thereby reducing your energy use. This strategy contributes to the overall effort to preserve energy by reducing demand on the electrical system during peak hours, which in turn helps you save money on your electricity bills.
Fewer Duct Losses
Air conditioning systems that rely on ductwork to distribute air to various rooms in a house typically waste energy along the way. Ducts in unconditioned areas, like crawl spaces or attics, increase the likelihood that energy escapes before it reaches its intended destination. HVAC zoning systems distribute air more efficiently, which lessens this problem. The system reduces energy loss by sending air only to the areas that actually require it, rather than letting it travel through unnecessary lengths of ducting.
Can You Install HVAC Zoning in Homes Without Ductwork?
For houses that do not have space for conventional ducting, ductless mini-split systems are a great substitute. Mini-split systems are similar to conventional HVAC zoning systems in that they use individual units in each room or zone to provide controlled temperature and humidity control, but they do away with the need for ducts.
For older homes, restorations or extensions where ducting would be expensive and difficult to install, ductless systems are a great alternative because of their efficiency. They are similar to conventional HVAC zoning in that they reduce energy use, provide targeted comfort and lower utility costs.
Zoning Your Home: What Rooms Should Be Zoned?
Before installing an HVAC zoning system, make sure to give serious consideration to which rooms should be part of each zone. Rooms with comparable heating and cooling demands or occupancy rates are good candidates for grouping. Rooms like the kitchen and living room usually serve as common areas.
You can set up individual zones so that rooms like guest bedrooms or storage spaces only get air conditioning when absolutely necessary. Zones also work well for basements, which typically don’t need as much heating or cooling as higher floors and home offices, which may need constant temperature control during work hours but not after.
How Much Money Can You Save Annually?
The yearly savings potential of an HVAC zoning system is conditional on a number of variables, including the square footage of your home, the local climate and the efficiency with which you operate the system. HVAC zoning typically results in savings of 20% to 30% for households. Depending on your current energy consumption and utility rates, this could result in annual savings of hundreds of dollars. Even more substantial reductions are possible in larger homes with more than one story.
Long-Term Benefits Beyond Financial Savings
Aside from the obvious short-term savings, HVAC zoning systems have other, more substantial benefits. One obvious advantage is that zoning makes it possible to customize the temperature in different areas of your home to your liking. This may be very useful for people in the same household who have different temperature preferences. Also worth noting are the environmental benefits of zoning systems. By reducing energy consumption, they help lessen your impact on the environment and pave the way for a more sustainable future.
F.F. Hitchcock Plumbing, Heating & Cooling is here to answer any questions you might have about HVAC zoning. We offer HVAC installations and plumbing repairs, including water treatment services, indoor air quality, electrical repairs, roofing services and commercial applications. Call us now to schedule an HVAC consultation for your home in Cheshire, CT, to see how much money you can save with HVAC zoning.
