It’s not uncommon for homes in western Colorado to have issues with uneven heating. Some rooms end up warm (even uncomfortably so), while others stay several degrees colder. The problem can be exacerbated in a multistory home, or one in which some rooms have large windows that receive direct sunlight. Many homeowners have eliminated uneven heating by installing zoning systems in their homes.
Zoning systems give you more precise control over the temperature in every part of the house. Besides improving your comfort level, a zoning system can also save you money on your heating bills and potentially extend the life of your HVAC equipment.
Zoning systems work by placing dampers within your duct system. The dampers are controlled automatically by electric motors. If all of the dampers are open, the entire house gets heated; by closing some dampers, the zoning system can direct the warm air only to specific parts of the house. Thermostats located in each zone (or one master thermostat centrally located) tell the system which parts of the house need additional heating, and which rooms are already warm enough.
A zoning system can make your home more energy efficient because it prevents the HVAC system from continuing to heat (or cool) a room that is already at the correct temperature. Also, since the HVAC system is often only supplying air to part of the house, it can run at a more efficient level (especially if you have two-stage cooling or heating). This lighter workload can help your HVAC equipment last longer.
Most houses have rooms that are only occupied by people at set times of the day or night, or have guest rooms that sit empty the majority of the time. Zoning systems make big energy savings possible in such homes, through the use of programmable thermostats to only heat individual rooms when they’re needed.
You can learn more about zoning systems by contacting us at Climate Control Company of Glenwood Springs. We have been serving western Colorado since 1956, and have the experience and knowledge needed to design the perfect comfort system for your home.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Aspen, Vail and the surrounding Western slope communities in Colorado about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about zoning systems and other HVAC topics, please visit our website.
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