If someone told you that it’s possible to keep the temperature in your home comfortable while still saving money on your monthly utility bills, you might assume that it would require installing a brand new HVAC system or sealing off portions of your home. Fortunately, there’s a different way to achieve it: zone dampers and systems.
Understanding Zoning and Zone Dampers
In simplest terms, “zoning” refers to the process of attaining different temperatures in different parts of your home. Think of your system as a light switch. You wouldn’t flick a single switch to light up your whole home; instead, you want individual light switches to illuminate different areas in your home. Zoning ensures that you’re able to adjust the temperature for different designated zones in your home, according to your needs and preferences. You can make this happen by having a qualified technician install programmable, or “smart,” thermostats and zone dampers in various “zones” of your house. A home can have two or three zones, to match different floors, or even more to address varying temperature needs in your home.
A zone damper is a plate or a valve that helps to regulate the flow and temperature of heated or cooled air sent throughout the ductwork of your home.
The Benefits of Zoning
There are several reasons to consider installing a zone system in your home, including:
- Reduced energy consumption. Heating or cooling your home by zones means that you’re not heating or cooling portions of your home that don’t require it. The end result is reduced utility bills.
- Convenience. Everyone in your family can control the temperature in their zone without affecting others. You can also program and control thermostats remotely and/or set them to turn on and off and certain times throughout the day, increasing your automation capability.
- Increased comfort. By installing zone dampers and separate thermostats, you’ll be more comfortable than ever before, due to less uneven and more consistent temperatures room-to-room and more temperature control where you want it, when you want it.
For more expert advice on zoning, or any other home comfort questions you may have, contact the heating and cooling pros at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning. We’ve been servicing the Fresno area for more than 40 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about zone dampers and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock