The Phoenix metro area experiences serious heat for months on end, causing energy bills to soar. Many homes in the area would benefit from an HVAC zoning system to cut those costs without sacrificing comfort. These systems help maintain temperatures evenly throughout, which can be challenging given our intense sunlight.
A zoning system lets you individualize your home’s HVAC system to match how you use your home. A zoned home has motorized dampers in the ductwork that open and close based on the zone’s thermostat’s settings. Each zone uses an individual thermostat wired to a central control panel that turns on the HVAC system. The damper for that zone opens and the conditioned air flows to the area that needs it.
These systems are especially beneficial in homes that have:
- A second story.
- Raised ceiling plates in some of the rooms.
- Large expanses of windows that receive direct sunlight.
- Areas that aren’t used frequently, or rooms that receive more usage than others.
- Family members who like or need different temperature settings.
A zoning system eliminates hot and cold spots throughout your home, especially in two-story homes. Between the heat that naturally rises and the radiant heat coming from the attic, the second floor can be much warmer than the first. Putting this area on its own HVAC zoning system helps better manage the area’s temperatures year-round.
Zoning systems also help you save energy since you can adjust the thermostat in areas you seldom use. If your family routinely gathers in one area more than others, you can adjust the temperature to maintain even comfort without having to condition your entire home. You’ll get the most savings if you combine the zoning system with programmable thermostats and set them based on when you occupy each zone.
Because you’re not cooling the entire home at once, zoning systems also lengthen the lifetime of HVAC equipment, since they don’t need to work as hard.
For more information about an HVAC zoning system, contact Wolff Mechanical, Inc. We’ve been providing HVAC services for the greater Phoenix area for more than two decades.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Phoenix Valley area of Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
