HVAC Tips / February 17, 2021

Benefits of HVAC Zoning

A conventional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system provides similar or uniform heating and cooling to different parts of your house. HVAC zoning allows you to heat or cool different parts of the house independently of one another. For example, zoning allows you to set warmer temperatures for some parts of the house. Below are some benefits of HVAC zoning.

Energy Efficiency

Many homes have rooms or zones with different heating and cooling needs. A single air delivery system cannot provide even temperatures in such homes. Consider these examples:

• In multistory homes, the upper floors tend to be warmer than the lower floors.
• In a home with a busy kitchen, the kitchen is likely to be warmer than other rooms in a house.
• During the day, a room with a skylight is likely to be warmer than other rooms.

Without zoning, your heating system will deliver air at the same temperature to all these different house zones. That would waste energy since the warmer areas don’t require as much heating as the colder ones.

Zoning allows you to deliver targeted heating in these different zones. For example, you can set the kitchen temperature slightly lower than the temperature in other zones. That way, the HVAC system only uses the energy necessary to heat your house.

Even Heating

Energy and heating efficiency often go together. Say some rooms are warmer than the others are, but they all get fresh air at the same temperature. Without HVAC zoning, you are likely to end up with uneven heating.

Uneven heating can be a bother in multiple ways. First, you might feel uncomfortable — especially if you don’t confine yourself to one zone. Secondly, the discomfort might tempt you to keep changing the thermostat settings. Lastly, the household members might argue with each other about the temperature setting.

As previously mentioned, zoning allows you to achieve even heating. That means comfort and convenience for your household.

System Durability Your HVAC system has a limited lifetime. For example, a furnace can last anywhere between 16 and 20 years. An HVAC system’s exact durability depends on numerous factors, including the cooling and heating demands. The more you use your system, the faster it wears.

Now, HVAC zoning allows you to minimize your system’s runtime. Say your house has two zones:

1. Zone A requiring minimal heating

2. Zone B requiring more heating than zone A

If you have a modulating furnace or a variable-blower furnace, the system will reduce its heat output once zone A has reached its target temperature. The reduced heating reduces the system’s wear and tear. The reduced wear and tear reduces your system’s frequency of breakdowns and prolongs its useful lifespan.

Good IAQ

Lastly, HVAC zoning can also help you improve your indoor air quality. With a single-zone HVAC, air from different parts of the house inevitably mixes. For example:

• Smoke and smells from the kitchen might get to the bedroom.
• Dust from the storage space might get to the kitchen.
• Pet dander might circulate throughout the house.

A good zoning system isolates the different zones from each other. Thus, each zone experiences its own air circulation. Independent air circulation reduces dust and debris spreading all over the house. That also allows you to keep some parts of the house, such as the bedroom, cleaner than others.

The best time to add HVAC zoning is during system installation, but you can also zone an existing system. Mauzy Heating, Air & Solar can help you install a zoned system or retrofit your existing HVAC. Contact us for a quote to benefit from a professionally installed HVAC system