subject: Electronic Zoning For Your Home [print this page] Have you ever noticed that certain rooms in your home are usually too hot or too cold in relation to the rest of your house? This happens, of course, for the simple reason that heat rises, so rooms on higher floors will generally be warmer than those on lower floors. The sun can also play a factor on parts of your home that get the majority of its heat throughout the day. Not only can this be annoying for the people living in the home, but it can also cause your heating and cooling bills to be higher than they should be, depending on where your thermostat is located, because it is constantly trying to heat up a room that is perpetually colder than the rest of your house. A solution to this problem is electronic zoning, which is where you set up a system of thermostats in your home that control dampers within your ductwork, adjusting the temperature in each area respectively. Systems like these tend to be expensive at first to install, but the home comfort and energy efficiency you will receive, if used properly, is well worth the investment.
Home Comfort
As was said earlier, the existence of overly warm and cold areas in your home can be quite annoying for you and your family. By installing an electronic zoning system, you will have the ability to even out the temperature throughout your home by denying heat to the rooms that do not need it, while supplying more to those that do. But that is not that only way electronic zoning systems can bring you more home comfort. Most people have different temperatures they prefer to exist in. This is especially noticeable when you have a large family. An electronic zoning system can allow individual members maintain their personal spaces at the temperature most comfortable for them, allowing them to sleep better at night and work more comfortably during the day, increasing their health and efficiency.
Costs
The one thing that makes most home owners turn away from electronic zoning systems is the cost of the system and the installation, which can be more than some wish to pay. But there are ways to plan the installation, so it is more cost efficient. If possible, you should try to install the electronic zoning system at the same time as you are replacing your current ductwork. This will minimize the extra costs of unnecessarily tearing out ductwork, because you will be doing two jobs at once. If you are planning on building a new home, it is also a good time to consider installing such a system. But no matter what, you will save more money on energy bills that will eventually pay for the cost of the system.
Energy Efficiency
The wonderful thing about electronic zoning systems is that you do not have to heat areas that are going unused, such as basements or spare bedrooms, so your heater will only need to work enough to heat the remainder of your home. As long as you are taking advantage of this feature, electronic zoning systems can save you up to thirty percent on your heating and cooling bills. The savings and the included home comfort will be well worth the cost of the initial installation.
