An HVAC zoning system can provide many benefits, including better indoor comfort, more precise temperature control and savings on your utility bills. As with any piece of HVAC equipment, though, a zoning system must be properly designed and installed in order to be effective and provide the fullest benefit to your home.

Proper zoning system design requires taking multiple factors into account:

  • Upstairs and downstairs rooms should always be in separate zones. One benefit of zoning systems is that they can solve the common problem of upstairs rooms being too hot (or downstairs rooms too cold) due to the fact that hot air rises. Because of this, though, rooms on different levels always need to be in different cooling and heating zones.
  • Set up “nighttime” and “daytime” zones. For example, if the bedrooms are empty during the day, putting them in a separate zone or zones allows you to use programmable thermostats to save energy while they sit empty.
  • Rooms that are sunlit at different times should be in different zones. An east-facing room with windows will require more cooling (or less heating) in the morning. You don’t want it combined with a west-facing room, which would require more cooling (or less heating) in the afternoon.
  • Put perimeter rooms and interior rooms in different zones. Rooms that have an outside wall or window will have more heating or cooling needs than those in the center of the house.
  • Have a separate zone for any newer home additions. If your home has been added on to, the new areas may have different insulation or building materials that require a different amount of heating or cooling.
  • Locate each zone’s thermostat in the room which is used the most. The part of the zone that is most often occupied is the one you want to have the best temperature control in.

At Stack Heating & Cooling, we have been making Northeast Ohio homes more comfortable since 1976. You can visit our showroom to learn more about how zoning systems work or contact us to have a system expertly designed and installed.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio 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.

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