How air conditioning zones cool your home and save you money.
When summer temperatures bake your home, you'll want your air conditioning system to keep it cool, and one of the most effective ways is to use heating/cooling zones that are offered in most AC systems. Learn what cooling zones are and how to optimize them as well as save money below. Note all these concepts of using HVAC zones will help you save money year round as well, as they can be used during the winter as well to save on heating costs.
In its simplest form, air conditioning unit cooling zones will direct the most cool air towards parts of your home in which someone is currently in. (Also, as noted, this can also apply for heat during the colder months). For example, if you and/or your family are in a main living or family room, and the bedrooms are not being used, most of the cool air will be focused on the family room. While the bedrooms will not become hot, less cool air is directed towards the bedrooms when they are not in use.
Paying for AC can be costly. At the same time, you don't want to scorch your wallet with high utility bills. You'll see suggestions to set your thermostat higher until you and your family are home. You'll also see suggestions to install a programmable thermostat so that you can set it to start cooling your house before everyone gets home.
Yet, creating separate cooling zones, especially with a programmable thermostat in each zone, provides a more efficient alternative. An air conditioning unit with cooling zones will cost about $3,000 to $5,000 (or more for higher end units) up front, but they have the opportunity to save you significant money each month. As you get quotes from AC companies or installers, ask them to provide an assessment of potential savings for the new AC or heating system.
Cooling Your Entire Home vs. Cooling Separate Zones in Your Home
Cooling your entire home takes lots of energy, especially even more so during the hot and humid summer months. AC is even more costly as utility and electric bill increase nationwide, and each year millions of low to moderate income families struggle to pay their utility bills. Cooling zones are a cheap (often free) way to optimize AC units.
Running an air conditioning unit during the summer, as the temperatures increased, requires more energy and increases your utility bills. It also strains your air conditioning system. Cooling zones cool only the areas that you and other home occupants are using while you're using them.
When you or other family members move to another zone, you change your thermostat settings and keep that area comfortably cool. This is also a good way to create comfortable temperatures in areas of the home that heat and cool differently (such as a finished basement that's usually cooler than the rest of the house, or a loft bedroom that gets warmer).
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, high-efficiency air conditioning systems that have a higher SEER rating (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) can reduce your energy use by 20 to 50 percent. Reducing your energy usage reduces your utility bills. An AC unit with a SEER rating of 16 is about, all else being equal, about 40% more efficient that a 10 SEER system.
How Do AC Unit Cooling Zones Work?
If you've ever closed a register in a room you're not using, you already know how cooling zones work.
However, in a zoned HVAC system, the thermostat in each zone signals a central control panel when to open and close mechanized dampers within the ducts of your central air conditioning system. The control panel closes the ducts leading to the zones that aren't in use and sends the cool air to the zones that you and your family are using.
Programmable thermostats let you control when your air conditioner sends cool air to each zone. You also control when the temperature can be higher because the zone's not in use. Smart thermostats can be controlled remotely with an app on your cell phone.
How Many Cooling Zones Does Your Home Need?
Creating two zones for a two-story home is common. You have one zone for the living area downstairs and a separate zone for the bedroom area upstairs. Most AC companies, including Trane or Goodman, recommend considering creating separate zones for: the following. As noted, ask them for how much creating, and using zones, can save you when shopping for a new HVAC system.
- A room with an expansive window space (the windows let in heat from sunlight)
- A room with a high ceiling (to more frequently cool the warm air that rises to the ceiling)
- Rooms where the temperature consistently varies from other rooms
Other Areas to Consider for Creating Cooling Zones
You might also want to create a separate zone for your kitchen where heat from cooking collects. If someone in your household always finds the rest of your home to be too cold or too warm, you could create a separate zone for that person's bedroom. If you have taken your elderly parents into your home, creating a zone for their living space could make them more comfortable.
Upgrading your air conditioning to include cooling zones represents an investment that reduces your energy costs, keeps your home more comfortable during hot summers, and potentially increases your home's value. With cooling zones, you only use your air conditioning to cool one portion of your home at a time instead of your entire home.
Your air conditioning system runs for a shorter amount of time requiring less energy, so your utility bills are reduced. Reducing the running time of your air conditioning also reduces the wear and tear it experiences, so installing cooling zones can reduce needed repairs and extend the time between replacements.
Zoning Systems for Heating
In most cases, a zoning system in a home will create separate zones for both heating and cooling, and the benefits are just as great in either case. This means the savings to your utility bills can be year round.
|
