HVAC zoning divides homes into two to four separate service areas. Each zone has its thermostat, and residents can control each thermostat independently. Zoning eliminates the need to cool empty rooms or entire floors. It also prevents people from arguing over temperature settings. Read on to find out why HVAC zoning is an excellent summertime upgrade in Cypress, TX.
Zoning Will Cut Your Summer Cooling Costs
The costs of cooling your home are highest in summer. Unlike the moderate weather of late spring and early fall, summer temperatures demand near-constant AC use. With daytime temperatures in Cypress holding steady in the mid-90s, this is likely your household’s greatest time of electricity consumption.
With zoning, you can attune your air conditioner’s performance to your and your family’s schedules. Zoned HVAC systems are driven by smart thermostats and zone control systems. Many of these technologies come with geofencing that creates defined, virtual boundaries around and throughout buildings. For instance, if you’re relaxing in your living room and enjoying the inflow of cool, conditioned air, geofencing will follow you with these same conditions when you move into your bedroom. It will also stop or reduce the flow of cooled air into the space that you’ve exited.
According to the United States Department of Energy (DOE), zoning your HVAC system could save you as much as 30% on heating and cooling each year. This remains true even if your zoned HVAC system lacks cutting-edge capabilities like geofencing. Even when accomplished via manual thermostat adjustments, diverting the flow of conditioned air away from unused areas limits the amount of work that air conditioners must do.
Minimize AC Stress During the High-Demand Cooling Season
With less area to cool, zoned HVAC systems experience less stress and sustain far less wear. While most air conditioners last between 15 and 20 years, zoned ACs often last a bit longer. In addition to having longer lifespans, they also experience fewer problems along the way.
Optimize Your Home Comfort
Some people have high-functioning and highly responsive internal thermostats. Their bodies are better at regulating their temperatures than most. These individuals rarely need or want the support of central ACs. Other people constantly run hot. Even during the cooler, nighttime hours, they maintain low thermostat settings and keep their overhead or beside fans running.
Zoning makes it possible to keep everyone in your household happy at once. People can create the conditions they want in their immediate areas without subjecting everyone else to their temperature preferences.
Stop Unwanted Vent Closures
Many people with standard, central HVAC systems use air vents to customize air delivery in their immediate vicinity. Unfortunately, while closing an air vent effectively redirects unwanted air, it can also affect your AC’s performance. HVAC vent closures create significant increases in in-duct air pressure. The resulting change in airflow can cause air conditioners to overheat, short cycle, or shut down. With HVAC zoning, you won’t need to open or close vents for comfort: The system will only supply conditioned air when and where you want it.
Update Your Home to Current Market Standards
Zoned HVAC systems are the wave of the future. HVAC zoning minimizes energy waste without negatively affecting the health or comfort of homes. While zoning technologies certainly aren’t mandatory for residential properties, they’re fast becoming a major market expectation. If you ever choose to sell your house, having your HVAC system zoned first will make it easier to compete with comparable properties in your area.
How Zoned HVAC Systems Work
Each smart thermostat in a zoned HVAC system communicates with a central zone control unit. This unit receives “calling” or “hold” signals and opens or closes duct dampers in response. Calling signals open duct dampers when more heated or cooled air is required in a service area. Hold signals cause duct dampers to seal shut.
Unlike vent closures, closed dampers don’t cause sudden increases in in-duct air pressure. To mitigate pressure-related issues when zoning HVAC systems, we install bypass ducts or oversized air ducts so that unwanted air has plenty of room to move through.
The smart thermostats that govern zoned HVAC systems are learning Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Homeowners can use branded mobile apps to access and adjust their smart thermostats from any location. These devices allow for multiple, preset temperature changes. They also provide timely reminders for HVAC air filter replacements and routine maintenance, performance alerts, and detailed energy consumption reports. According to ENERGY STAR, smart thermostats can cut home cooling costs by up to 8% on their own.
We help residents of Cypress, TX save cash and optimize their home comfort. We offer first-rate air conditioning, heating, and indoor air quality services. We also provide ductless mini-split systems, HVAC zoning, and preventative maintenance plans. Contact AirDepot today to schedule an appointment.
