Saving money on heating and cooling is a common priority for homeowners—especially with Iowa’s drastic temperatures in the winter and summer. People typically sacrifice the comfortability of their homes in order to save money, but there are ways to minimize costs while maintaining a pleasant temperature. You can save money and keep the whole family happy by tailoring your heating and cooling system to fit your lifestyle through zoning.
What Is Zoning?
A traditional HVAC system only has one thermostat and maintains one temperature throughout a house. Zoning systems are perfect for multi-story homes, where temperatures tend to vary based on different levels. Installing a zoning HVAC system divides a house into “zones,” as the name suggests. These zones each have their own thermostat and independent heating and cooling capabilities, so you can determine the different temperatures for each level of your home. You may benefit from zoning if your home has:
- Multiple stories (basement, main floor, upstairs, attic, etc.)
- Finished basement or finished attic
- High or vaulted ceilings
- Large, bay windows
How Does Zoning Work?
Think of the car your family drives. Typically, the heating and cooling system within the vehicle lets you determine different temperatures and air flow for the person in the driver’s seat, the person in the passenger’s seat, and sometimes the backseat rows even have their own thermostat to adjust temperature.
Zoning in a home works similarly. It splits your home into desired levels like the basement, main floor, and upstairs and allows you to adjust the temperature for each. This is a perfect solution for keeping each level at a comfortable temperature without needing to sacrifice comfort depending on what level of the home you’re on. Additionally, this helps to increase energy efficiency and reduce costs since you won’t need to constantly adjust temperatures as you move throughout your home. In order to install a zoning system into your home, your home needs to have an independent duct system. To check for this, locate your air vents throughout your home. Are they on the floor or on the ceiling? If they are on the ceiling, then that means that your home already has an independent duct system in place. If your vents are on the ground, then you will need to have an HVAC company install an independent duct system before working on getting a zoning system added.
Can I get a zoning system in a new home?
A new home is the perfect opportunity to add a zoning system! An independent duct system is required for zoning capabilities, and most newer homes already have independent duct systems in place. This means that a new zoning system is easier to install, costs less to install, and requires no large disruptions to your home’s walls or duct systems. This is a popular add-on to new home construction projects as well. If your home has been built recently, or you are in the process of building a new home, reach out to us to discuss how to get a zoning system installed.
Can I install a zoning system in my older home?
While getting a zoning system installed into an older home is more difficult and costly, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible! Older homes use one central HVAC system which means the you’re only able to choose one temperature for your system to try and achieve for your whole home. Adding a zoning system is not possible this way. Contact experienced HVAC professionals to come in and install an independent duct system, and add zoning afterwards. This may take more time and money upfront, but in the long run will help reduce energy costs in your home.
How Does Zoning Increase Energy Efficiency?
Zoning helps homeowners be smart about how they heat and cool their homes. They can conserve energy by turning off or lowering the heat or air conditioning for a level of the house that isn’t used as often or faces extreme temperature changes (a hot attic in the summer or a cold basement in the winter). This means your system won’t have to overcompensate for other sections of your home that do not need as much heating or cooling.
Improving Energy Efficiency to Increase Savings
Reducing energy usage helps homeowners increase savings on their monthly energy bills, and zoning HVAC methods can save homeowners around 30 percent a year on their heating and cooling energy usage. This makes zoning a win-win for homeowners by reducing costs while increasing comfortability inside.
Have a Professional Install a Zoning HVAC System
Ready to make the switch to a tailored, energy-efficient heating and cooling system? Contact Wyckoff to have a professional technician help you map out the different zones of your home and install a new zoning system.