Have you ever noticed that your Tampa area home gets hotter in some areas and colder in others, even though you have the thermostat set at a consistent temperature? Some rooms get uncomfortably hot, even muggy, and no amount of drawn shades or bumping the thermostat down seems to help. Meanwhile, other rooms get downright chilly, and closing the vents in those rooms doesn’t make much difference. A zoning system is a great solution for this type of situation.
How Come the Temperature Is So Different Throughout My Home?
To a great extent, it boils down to physics. Heat rises; cool air sinks. Rooms that face the sun most of the day, or have more windows, will be hotter; rooms that face north or are on a lower level will be colder. Kitchens get hot when you cook in them, as well as rooms with computers or other electronics. Basement rooms are chillier, especially if they don’t have any windows.
Unfortunately, the only place that the temperature is going to reflect the number that you’ve set is at the thermostat itself. For many homes, the thermostat is placed in a hallway. If your family spent most of their time in that hallway, this would make sense. But that’s not what a home is for. Someone is going to be cooking over a hot stove; another person will be working in the home office. Somebody else is enjoying some television time, and the toddler is trying to nap in a hot, stuffy room.
So how do you get a nice, consistent, and comfortable temperature throughout your home? You could look into a zoning system, which allows total control over the temperature in every part of your home, and even allows for custom settings for personalized comfort of the occupants.
How Does a Zoning System Work?
First, an expert in HVAC zoning systems will come to your home and evaluate the temperature consistency of each room. This data will help them determine how many different areas, or “zones,” need individual temperature control, and where the thermostats for each should be placed. Technicians then install a series of motorized dampers to control the flow of the cooled or heated air to each zone of the house, and corresponding, specialized thermostats are also installed. Zoning systems can be installed in new construction, as well as retrofitted in existing homes.
Good Candidates for Zoning Systems
If you have a small home that seems to be heated and cooled consistently throughout, and your family tends to agree on the temperature, investing in a zoning system is probably not going to help you much. However, if your home or family meets any (or all) of the points below, it’s absolutely worth calling an expert technician to evaluate your situation and give you an estimate for your personalized zoning needs.
- Rooms with vaulted or cathedral ceilings
- Occupants with differences of opinion about comfortable temperatures
- Solarium or atrium in the house
- An often-used kitchen stove or oven
- Rooms that are not used very often
- Two or more story homes
- A finished basement
- Sprawling floor plans
- Large glass windows
- “Green” families looking to make a smaller impact on the environment
Save Money on Energy Costs
A zoning system in your home can save you money. Heating and cooling rooms that are not in use wastes energy, which in turn raises your utility bills. Zoning systems allows you to individually set temperatures based on use, time of day and occupancy. If the room (or the home) is empty, energy-saving settings can be applied. The heated or conditioned air is only produced and directed to the zones that need it, saving a substantial amount of energy use in a typical home.
When temperatures are individually controlled throughout the home, not only are utility bills lower, but everyone is happier and more comfortable. Those who prefer a warmer environment can relax in a cozy den, while others who like to be cooler can chill. The thermostat setting battles can finally cease, the sweltering upper-floor bedroom sleepers can rest easy, and the finished basement occupants can store their space heaters for “emergency use only.”
To learn more about how a zoning system in your home can help increase your family’s comfort while decreasing your electric bills, please contact us at Senica Air Conditioning, Inc., Inc. today. Our company proudly serves the Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg area.