Central cooling and heating is one of the greatest advantages when it comes to modern indoor living. However, there is a bit of a flaw in the standard ducted design of a central HVAC system, which is that when the heater or AC comes on, the blower fan sends out air to all the rooms—including unoccupied ones that don’t need energy expended on them.
But that’s life, right? No, not at all! You can have your HVAC system set up for zone heating and cooling. This is a way to regulate temperatures in different parts of your house (zones) independently of one another. Only send conditioned air to the rooms that require it, or adjust temperatures to match people’s individual needs.
Red Rock Mechanical, LLC offers zone control installation, either as part of a new HVAC system or to retrofit an older system. It is part of our more than two decades of helping families in Burlington, VT and throughout Northwest Vermont and Northeast New York have the best comfort possible!
I would highly recommend Doug and Red Rock Mechanical.
- Ann H.
How Zone Air Conditioning and Heating Works
To use zone control in a standard ducted ventilation system, technicians must make a number of important changes. The main components they put in place are dampers within the ducts (usually one per each zone the homeowner wants) and local thermostats that control each damper. The thermostats then connect to a central control panel.
When a zone thermostat sends a request for heating/cooling, the central control opens that damper and closes off other zones that aren’t making requests. The dampers are shifted open and closed to maintain safe air pressure within the ventilation system while also distributing the air to the rooms the way the homeowner wishes.
How Zone Heating and Air Conditioning Benefits a Home
There are a number of great advantages to zoning a house, some obvious, some less so:
- Energy savings: This is the big one for most homeowners. An HVAC system won’t need to do as much work if it isn’t required to cool/heat all spaces at once. This is particularly helpful for large homes or homes that have guestrooms and other places that are frequently unoccupied.
- Personalized comfort: Do you want to put an end to the "thermostat wars" in your home as family members squabble over how to set the temperature? Zone control gives each person control over the climate in his or her own area.
- Climate to match rooms: Rooms have their specific temperature needs as well as people. Zone control lets you keep the kitchen cooler while an infant’s room is kept warmer.
- Even comfort distribution: The proper use of zone control helps eliminate hot and cold spots in a house. The central control panel will open and close dampers to allow for even movement of heating/cooling.
We Offer Full Zone Control System Services in Burlington, VT
Although it’s easiest to set up zone controls when a new HVAC system is installed, our technicians can also find a way to update and retrofit older ones. Simply contact us and we’ll answer your questions and find the best way forward for improving comfort and savings.
If you should run into trouble with your zone controls, such as busted dampers or malfunctioning thermostats, we’ll provide the repair work you need. Our regular HVAC maintenance services will check the zone controls as well each time we visit.
Red Rock Mechanical, LLC is a family–owned company in Burlington, VT that is dedicated to the best quality workmanship and customer service.
