In the average household, heating and cooling accounts for approximately 40 percent of total annual energy consumption. If you currently have a single-zone HVAC system with one thermostat to control your furnace, heat pump or air conditioner, installing a zoning system can help you save energy and lower your annual operating costs.

How Zoned Systems Work

Zoned systems use motorized ductwork dampers to divide a home into multiple independent sections or zones. Each zone has a thermostat that’s wired to a central control panel. When one of the thermostats calls for heating or cooling, the control panel opens the damper for that zone and signals the HVAC equipment to cycle on.

Zoning is the ideal solution to control HVAC energy consumption in large or multi-story homes. It’s also well-suited for homes with features that make efficient heating and cooling more difficult, like numerous large windows, a loft, cathedral ceilings, a sunroom, or finished space over the garage or in the attic.

Benefits of a Zoning System

A well-designed and properly installed zoning system offers some significant benefits:

• Energy savings. With the precise control you’ll gain from zoning, you won’t pay to heat and cool the whole house all the time. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a zoning system paired with programmable thermostats can lower yearly heating and cooling costs up to 30 percent. You can boost energy efficiency even more by upgrading to a variable-speed air handler.
• Consistent comfort. With a single-zone system, is usually only the area closest to the thermostat that’s heated or cooled accurately, which can leave other areas too hot or too cold. A zoned system’s individual thermostats provide better temperature control and virtually eliminate uneven heating or cooling.
• Extended equipment life. When you have a zoned system, your HVAC equipment doesn’t have to run at full capacity or cycle on and off as often to keep your home comfortable, so it won’t wear out as quickly.

To learn how a zoning system can help you save energy and money in your Peachtree City area home, contact us at Powers Heating & Air.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about zoning systems and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 770-487-2040.

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