Having multiple temperature zones in your home can be advantageous. It lets you create a more comfortable interior, one that meets the different temperature preferences of your family. It also saves you money, as you can avoid heating and cooling unoccupied areas of the home. Here’s what you need, though, for multi-zone heating and cooling.
A Variable-Speed HVAC System
While this isn’t an absolute requirement, we still would not recommend anything other than a system that can speed up or slow down according to the size of the area it’s cooling. A single-speed system that’s oversized for the area it’s heating or cooling will cause problems. You’ll experience uneven results and, unknown to you, put premature wear and tear on the system’s motor, shortening its life span.
Thermostats and Dampers
Let’s say you have a system that can adjust its speed to your ever-changing needs. In that case, you would install a control panel in the HVAC system and thermostats in every zone. These thermostats connect to the control panel. Then, in response to the temperature controls you set, the HVAC system will switch on or off and send air through the proper ducts. Or rather, the dampers in your ductwork will direct the air to the right zones. Dampers are blades or plates and will need to be specially installed.
Choose Mini-Splits as an Alternative
With a central HVAC system, you would set the limits of each zone for yourself. It could be as small as a single room or as wide as the entire floor of a multi-level home. You do have the option of getting multi-zone heating/cooling with mini-splits, though. A mini-split is a ductless HVAC system, and its air handler is meant for a single room. Hook up eight air handlers to one compressor, and you’ve got virtual multi-zone heating/cooling for the whole house.
J.J. Agnello Heating & Air Conditioning Inc can handle ducted and ductless HVAC installations anywhere in Erie, PA. Repairs and maintenance are no problem for us. We also deal in fireplaces, boilers, and air purifiers. Set up an appointment over the phone today!
