Zone Dampers and Zone Systems: How They Help Save Your Money

Originally, forced air systems were designed with a single thermostat to control the whole system. At the time, this was revolutionary and is an energy efficient improvement on room-by-room or inefficiently placed space heaters. However, HVAC technology has progressed and zone dampers can be implemented to control airflow and temperatures in specific areas of your house. In addition to enhancing whole-house comfort, installing zone dampers in your Cleveland home will save money.

There are a variety of ways a zoning system can enhance your home’s comfort and energy efficiency.

1. Greater Overall Energy Efficiency. Most homeowners use zoning system to keep temperatures lower in unoccupied rooms or areas of the house. This can add up to significant year round savings in heating and cooling costs. Whether it is a guest bedroom, a wing of the house, or the basement, you can program zones so these areas are only heated or cooled as needed.
2. Control Temperatures in Multi-story Homes. With single zone systems, homeowners can end up freezing the downstairs levels out during the summer months, or overheating the upper stories during the winter months, in an effort to keep the main living areas comfortable. Zone dampers eliminate this by controlling each level individually.
3. Unique Architecture is no Longer a Climatic Problem. Those wall-to-wall windows or vaulted ceilings can throw off the heating and cooling requirements for a home. Similar to multi-story architecture, homes with unique features can end up freezing or over-heating one area to make the other area more comfortable. That isn’t an issue anymore when you use a zoning system.
4. Keep everybody happy. Your zone system makes it possible to keep everybody happy, and stop the perpetual arguments over thermostat settings. The kitchen can be one temperature while the TV room is another. The kids bedrooms can be kept warmer than the master bedroom. All of these temperatures can be precisely set, hour by hour, using programmable thermostats.

Ready to install zone dampers to improve whole-house comfort and enjoy energy saving benefits in your Cleveland area home? Contact the HVAC professionals at Stack Heating & Cooling.

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 zone dampers and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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