Zoning

What’s the problem?
If you’re like most homeowners, temperature differences in various parts of your home can be somewhat annoying. You may find yourself constantly adjusting the thermostat trying to get everyone comfortable. If you think about it, as the day wares on, the heat load will vary inside the home. As the sun travels from east to west, different parts of your home are going to be warmer or cooler because of the load exerted by the suns radiation.

Zoning allows one comfort system to properly and accurately control the temperature in several areas with-in the same structure, even as the heat load shifts from east to west. By using ductwork mounted dampers and temperature controls located in different “zones”, your home can stay a very uniform temperature keeping everyone more comfortable. You can customize the zone system for your particular needs by controlling bedrooms separate from living areas keeping bedrooms cooler at night.

 

For more information check out these links:
TRANE.com
Honeywell.com

The Golden Rules Of Zoning Design

 

Never Combine Different Floors on the Same Zone
The fact that hot air raises, and cold air falls needs to be addressed first. As everyone knows, there is nothing worse than a customer with a hot head or cold feet!

Never Zone Rooms of Different Construction Types in the Same Zone
For example, a new addition should always have it’s own thermostat since it will typically be better insulated than the rest of the home, and it will react differently than older sections of the home.

Never Zone Rooms That Have A Perimeter Wall with Rooms That are Entirely Internal to the Structure
Internal rooms should be grouped together whenever possible to avoid mixing rooms that have wide temperature swings with those that are much more stable.

All Thermostats Should Be Located In the Rooms Used the Most
Doesn’t it make sense to install the temperature sensor in an area being used a lot? Only put a thermostat in a hallway if your going to live in it.

Never Put Rooms with Confliciting Solar or Mechancially Generated Heat Loads on the Same Zone
For example, don’t put an east facing room that receives heavy morning sun onto the same zone as a western facing room that gets a heavy afternoon sun load.

Never Try to Keep Zones More Than 3 Degrees Offset from Each Other
Zoning systems don’t work that way. You can’t keep one zone at 85 and another at 75 degrees. The zone system is designed to keep a home at uniform temperature during a shifting load.

Always Use Variable Speed Comfort Systems When Installing A Zoning System
Any comfort system can be zoned. Zone systems work best when the comfort system can modulate up and down in direct response to the zone system requirements.