HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems keep your home comfortable, no matter the weather outside. Unfortunately, even the best HVAC systems sometime struggle against the realities of house design and the laws of physics. Maybe one part of your home is always comfortable, while another is too hot or cold. Or maybe it seems as if your HVAC system is running all the time to try to keep your temperature consistent.
The reason that your HVAC system may not be able to keep all the rooms in your house the same temperature is pretty simple. It runs off one thermostat. In most cases, this thermostat reads the temperature of the room in which it is installed, and tells the HVAC system what to do based on that room’s temperature. This is not very effective for whole-house comfort, nor energy efficient. However, a zoning system can change that.
If the house has multiple stories, each level above or below the ground floor may vary by 6 to 12 degrees. Rooms with lots of windows may stay a different temperature from other rooms. Additions to the house may not get efficient air flow from the main structure. With only one thermostat trying to control temperatures in all parts of the house, it’s no wonder people in one room might be freezing while people in another room think it’s too stuffy.
A zoning system solves this problem by combining multiple thermostats with mechanized dampers to control each zone that you establish separately. You could make each floor of your home its own zone, or you could establish zones based on use, such as all of the bedrooms are one zone, while the kitchen is another. Not only does this allow for increased comfort throughout your home, but it also can improve your energy efficiency.
Installing and utilizing a zoning system also enables you to ensure that areas that don’t get as hot or cold, or that aren’t used as much during different parts of the day, receive less conditioned air than other parts of your home. This means your HVAC system uses less energy, which costs you less on your utility bills.
For more information, or for expert advice on other HVAC matters, contact Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ve provided friendly, expert services to residential and commercial customers in the Twin Cities area for more than 37 years, and look forward to helping you with all of your heating and cooling needs.
Our goal is to help educate our customers 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 Resource guide.
Marsh Heating and Air Conditioning services Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!