What Is Zoning And How Does It Affect Heating And Cooling Costs?
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byalex
When talking with a contractor about the installation of a new heating and cooling system, the professional is likely to bring up the matter of zones. This is something new for the home-owner, who naturally asks What is Zoning and why does it matter? Here are some things that everyone needs to understand about zones and what impact proper zoning has on the operational cost of a HVAC system.
The Basic Question
The best way to respond to the question of What is Zoning is to think of it in geographical terms. A zone is basically an area that will be supplied with hot or cold air through one or more air ducts. The zone could be a single room, or possibly two rooms connected by an open door. This means the zone could be a bedroom or it could be a living and dining room combination separated by a wide doorway.
How Zoning Works
The idea behind zoning is to provide the home-owner with more control over which areas or zones of the home are heated and cooled at any given point in time. This will mean setting up several thermostats and a series of sensors throughout the network. Typically, all those thermostats can be controlled from a single source. By adjusting the settings, it is possible to heat and cool spaces that are in active use. Any areas that are currently closed off can be shut off or at least adjusted to utilize the minimum amount of energy.
Why Zoning Matters
The main draw of zoning is that it provides the home-owner with the chance to manage energy usage. By being able to prevent the system from forcing air into rooms that are not being used, it takes less energy to heat and cool the rest of the home. That, in turn, leads to lower utility bills each month. Over the course of a year, the home-owner stands to save a great deal of money.
For home-owners who are thinking of upgrading their current heating and cooling systems, talk to a contractor about the merits of zoning. Depending on the size of the home and how the family uses the space, this approach could be the most practical way to go.
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