Fall is officially here, and with winter right around the corner, now is the time to ensure that your heating system will run at maximum efficiency in the coming months to help keep your family comfortable while saving you in energy costs. One of the best and most overlooked options for achieving this kind of comfort at a low cost is through zoning.
The Benefits of Zoning
Zoning is a way to control the temperature in individual rooms, or “zones”, of your home. Naturally, there are more frequently used and highly trafficked areas of your home that require more attention from your HVAC system than others. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense that you would want to heat and cool these zones differently in order to maximize the use of your HVAC system, reduce heating and cooling costs, and keep various areas of your home at the right temperature.
Zoning works by installing dampers in ductwork that open and close when called for from your thermostat. In doing so, they can inhibit or produce airflow exactly where you want it. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to zoning:
- It gives you control: When heating or cooling your home, simply setting your thermostat to a desired temperature does not really give you much control over how your home will be heated. Your system will do its best to evenly distribute air throughout your home, but since an unused guest room or third bathroom may not require the same heating as your living room or master bedroom during the winter months, this isn’t always necessarily the most efficient way to keep your home comfortable. With zoning, you’re able to have more control over the overall heating and cooling patterns within your home.
- It’s never too late: If you already have a central air system installed in your home, it’s not too late to consider the addition of zoning. Zoning can be installed into pre-existing systems for any room with its own independent ductwork. In fact, if your current central air system has been operating for a few years now, this is a great opportunity to maximize its efficiency by adding zoning.
- It saves you money: In the course of the first year, average savings from zoning can equal up to 30% on your energy bill. Zoning is something that will benefit your home and HVAC system all year round, so you won’t just be seeing savings in the winter or summer. Installation costs usually range somewhere between $200-300, savings which you will easily see back within the first few seasons following installation.
For more information on zoning or to schedule a consultation with our HVAC experts, contact Dodrill Comfort & Energy Solutions today.