The Benefits of Zoned HVAC Systems for Personalized Comfort
Have you ever been in bed trying to sleep, but it’s just too hot? You have to open a window in the middle of winter, which you know is wasteful. You turn the thermostat down instead, but now everyone on the lower level of your home says it’s freezing. It becomes a battle over the thermostat. End these struggles with zoned HVAC systems.
In many older homes, no matter how many floors they have, builders designed them with one zone. The thermostat in one area controls the temperature for every room and level of that home. In newer homes, each floor has its own thermostat. Bedrooms can be set at a much lower temperature than the main living areas. Why is that important?
The Benefits of Zoned HVAC Systems
Go back in time and many homes were designed with one large wood stove centralized and designed to heat the entire home. Some homes had fireplaces in every room, which provided the heat needed, but by morning, those rooms were extremely cold. Modern HVAC systems are much less work and even safer than heating systems our ancestors relied on. Multi-zone systems provide a range of benefits.
Personalized Comfort
In a smaller home, a single-zone HVAC system often sufficed. One central room has a single thermostat that sets the temperature in that area. The single-zone system heats that room to that setting and other rooms throughout the home are maintained to that temperature. This can be problematic.
If all of the rooms on the second floor are bedrooms with doors that remain closed and the thermostat is in an open floor plan, it’s going to cool off downstairs quicker than upstairs. The HVAC system turns on and heats or cools those upstairs bedrooms even though they’re already cool or warm enough. Uneven heating becomes a big problem.
With a multi-zone HVAC system, multiple thermostats are placed around the home. You might have one thermostat for each level or thermostat in each bedroom and central on the main level. This allows you to customize the temperatures in different rooms. Everyone is comfortable. Comfort isn’t the only benefit.
Reduce Energy Consumption
When you’re only heating certain rooms, it reduces your home’s energy consumption. That reduces the amount of electricity, propane, heating oil, kerosene, or natural gas being consumed. It’s better for the environment.
Plus, reduced consumption lowers your energy bills. You save money by heating or cooling different rooms to different temperatures. You find that you sleep better if the room is below 68 at night. Turn the thermostat down in bedrooms and less heat is needed all winter. Keep main rooms like a living or family room higher and turn down the others.
Make the Home Safer
The National Institutes of Health report that 33% of adults fail to get enough sleep. Ideally, you should get between seven and eight hours each night. Uneven heating, especially when bedrooms are too hot, impacts your well-being.
Some people must have a room set at a specific temperature for their safety. A person with cardiovascular disease needs to avoid temperature fluctuations. A hot room isn’t as healthy as a cooler one. Plus, an overly warm home is attractive to dust mites. The warmer your home, the more they thrive. If you have dust mite allergies, a temperature over 68ºF isn’t recommended in the winter.
Lower Noise
When you have a single-zone HVAC, it runs frequently. At night when you’re trying to sleep, hearing the HVAC system cycling on and off can disrupt your sleep. This is especially true in a smaller home where you’re not that far from the system.
Increase Your Home’s Value
Because there are so many benefits to a zoned HVAC system, it’s appealing to buyers. Buyers are looking for eco-friendly homes, and features like programmable thermostats are part of it. Homes with an older single-zone HVAC system are far less appealing.
Buyers know that those systems are continually moving hot or cold air to every room, whether that room is used or not. Having a system where it’s easy to turn heat or AC on or off in specific rooms appeals to 85% of buyers per the National Association of Realtors.
Points to Consider When It Comes to Installing Zoned HVAC Systems
Any upgrade to your home’s HVAC system does require some thought. We’ll break down the most important considerations.
Cost
It’s hard to determine exactly how much it will cost as it depends on your current system. To upgrade an existing HVAC system with a second zone, can cost upwards of $3,000 plus as much as $500 for each additional zone. If you have a two-level home and want a zone for your lower level and each upstairs bedroom in a three-bedroom home, you could be looking at $4,500. The older the home, the more expensive it can be.
For a multi-zone system to work correctly, you need dampers, a zone panel, and additional wiring for the thermostats and zone sensors. If you have a duct system, it’s going to have different expenses than a forced hot water system.
Compatibility
Your current HVAC system may not be designed for multiple zones. If it’s not, you’d have to have a multi-zone HVAC system installed as part of the upgrade. That adds to the cost. If you need a new HVAC system, ASHI reports the cost of different HVAC systems to be in the following ranges. Consider this if you need to replace a single-zone system.
- Electric Furnace – Upwards of $3,500
- Gas (Propane, Natural Gas, etc.) Furnace – Upwards of $4,000
- Oil Furnace – Upwards of $8.000
Government tax credits and local rebates help you save. Discussing your budget with an HVAC expert like Air Blue Heating and Cooling is always best to determine the best path forward and get local, personalized estimates.
Maintenance
Maintenance of any HVAC system should be performed each year. Single-zone HVAC systems are usually easier to maintain as there’s one main unit. Multi-zone systems can have multiple components to maintain. If one thermostat isn’t working, it can throw a multi-zone system off.
Multi-zone HVAC systems contain the heating and possibly an AC system. There are also multiple thermostats, a zone control panel, zone sensors, and dampers in ducts if your home has ducts. All of those components require maintenance, which can increase the cost of maintenance, but it’s also essential to keep your system in working order.
Let Air Blue Heating and Cooling help you ensure whole home comfort with multiple zones this winter. Right now, we have several specials available that lower the cost of a new furnace installation. We also have a $49 Fall Furnace Tune-Up offer if your existing system is in good shape and simply needs to have a tune-up and additional zones added. Get a free quote today.
