| Air Conditioning Zones: Attaining comfort and cost | | | | · The number of levels the house has |
| efficiency at home | | | | · The amount of exposure of each room to |
| Imagine this. You set the air conditioning to a | | | | the elements and local humidity in your area |
| comfortable temperature in your home office, | | | | · The life-style of the family |
| situated in the upper level of your home, and settle | | | | With zoning, you can have up to 3 or more zones, |
| down to concentrate on an important client pitch you | | | | depending on the size of your home and its usage. |
| are about to make the next day. Your wife is | | | | What this essentially does is to divide your home into |
| downstairs watching her favorite sit-com while the | | | | separately conditioned areas that need cooling or |
| kids are romping playfully in their bedroom. Soon, you | | | | heating by the use of thermostats that work |
| find your home office getting uncomfortably warm | | | | independently of each other. |
| until you realize that someone in the house decided it | | | | Other points to consider: |
| is getting too cool for comfort and turned the switch | | | | · If your home has an atrium, solarium, fitted |
| to change the temperature. If this happens on a | | | | cellar or a room with huge expanses of windows it |
| regular basis, it can be a cause for irritation not just | | | | might require a separate zone. |
| for one person, but to the whole family. Soon, it's a | | | | · Guest bedrooms might need to be zoned |
| situation akin to fighting over which TV channel to | | | | differently |
| watch. | | | | · If the lower level is most commonly used, |
| Basic physics tells us that warm air will rise and cool | | | | then it makes sense to have a separate zone for the |
| air stays down. So, while you regulate the air | | | | upper level to be powered on only during use, rather |
| conditioning in the upper floor to keep the warm air | | | | than have the whole house share a single air |
| cool, the rest of the family is feeling the cold air | | | | conditioning system. |
| uncomfortable. How can this be resolved? | | | | The use of air conditioning zones is catching on really |
| Zoned Comfort is the way to go | | | | fast across America as more people realize the |
| | | | energy and cost efficiencies that it brings. Air |
| Having a single air conditioning system for the whole | | | | conditioning rooms that don't need it for the most |
| house is no longer a desired option and can eliminate | | | | part is not an energy saving or cost-efficient way of |
| situations like the one described above. While buying | | | | managing conditioning of a home. Using air conditioning |
| or building a home, it makes sense to ask about air | | | | zoning is known to reduce energy bills by 20-25% |
| conditioning zones or incorporate it into your building | | | | over all. |
| plan. | | | | Also check out what local utility and Fed rebates |
| While planning the air conditioning zoning for your | | | | might be available for installation of air conditioning in |
| home, it makes sense to consider the following | | | | your home. |
| aspects to determine how many zones your home | | | | Apart from keeping your bills down, it is a practical |
| should have: | | | | way of allowing your family to be in their comfort |
| · The way in which the different rooms in | | | | zones and keep the peace at home. |
| the house are designed for use | | | | |