A ducted air conditioning zoning allows you to control and manage the cooling and heating effect in each area, or “zone,” of your house rather than having to heat or cool the entire building to the same temperature. A zoning system allows you to set various temperatures for specific rooms or parts of your house.
In central ducted systems, there is just one thermostat to control the heating and cooling airflow of the whole house. Once the thermostat is set to heat or cool, there is no way to adjust the temperature in each area in the home except by physically turning off the connections in each room. This manual approach is time-consuming and may damage the air conditioning grille or diffuser. And by shutting off too many outlets, reduces airflow which may reduce the air conditioner lifespan. So, Air conditioning zoning is the solution to this problem. This method conserves energy where heating or cooling effects are not necessary for some rooms.
What is the purpose of air conditioning zoning?
A zoning system is a professionally built control system that includes a damper and thermostat (optional) for each space or zone in the home. This control system is linking to a central control panel, which coordinates the calls from each thermostat with the zone dampers in the AC ducts. Ducted air conditioners are intended to keep your house at a comfortable temperature at all times of day and night, regardless of the weather. Modern homes contain rooms that are occupied differently at different times of the day and night. And this kind of home needs zoning to keep its cooling effects functioning. The following are some of the benefits of house air conditioning zoning:
- Improved cooling on the second floor for two store buildings.
- Utilizing less energy.
- Conserving money on utility bills.
- Personalized cooling throughout the home.
- Lowers the initial cost of a ducted air conditioning system.
For example, in a four-bedroom, a 14kw ducted air conditioner is required to keep the temperature stable in hot weather. By including two “zones” into the system for rooms that are rarely in use, you may decrease overall unit capacity and select 12.5kW air conditioners instead of 14kw, lowering energy usage and initial system costs.
Simple zoning or on/off zone controller, How does simple zoning work?
Electrically operated dampers in your ductwork are the key to a zoning cooling system because dampers function similarly to valves. It regulates the flow of cool/hot air within the house. So, the thermostat is the optional component of a zonal heating and cooling system. Each zone can have a thermostat that controls the current room temperature. When a region requires more cooling or heating from the air conditioner units, the thermostat instructs the damper to open and also allows more air to pass through. Similarly, when a section reaches the desired temperature, it shuts the dampers and distributes the air to the remainder of your house.
How much does basic zoning cost?
The upfront cost of one established zone will be about $200, and each subsequent one will be around $100-120, depending on the size of the flexible ductwork.
Spill zone feature
Spill Zone is a security measure in AC controllers to protect your air conditioning from harm caused by low airflow at the indoor unit located in the roof space. Each region control system theoretically has the potential to cut off outlets, preventing air movement, because it may be an issue if the air conditioner is operating. This may result not only in low airflow in your indoor unit but also in causing an incomplete refrigeration cycle and may damage the heart of the air conditioning system compressor. And this can be costly to repair. Often, a room (typically the living room) in your ducted network will be considered as a spill zone. And airflow will be delivered to this room to sustain ducted unit airflow if the user switches all zones off.
Pros of simple zone control:
- It is cost-effective.
- Simple to install and use.
- There is no requirement for a network or WI-FI.
- It can give room for future expansion of zoning motors.
Cons of simple zone control:
- It doesn’t give room for accurate individual temperature control in the zoning room.
- The supply airflow is not varied by the fan motor speed.
Smart zone control
A central ducted air conditioning unit in the absence of zoning technology cools the entire house or apartment at once. Every space gets the relevant airflow irrespective of room size, the number of people using (or not using) that room, the sun striking one part of the house, or, most crucially, individual temperature preferences.
You may aspire to buy a new ducted air conditioner and want to know whether an air conditioning zone controller is a suitable choice. Likewise, you may have an operational air conditioning system and want to add zones. Also, you might be considering a commercial HVAC installation and studying an air conditioning zoning system. The Company determines the requirement for zoning and the design of the workspaces.
Installing an air conditioning zone controller improves the comfort of the building’s inhabitants and the energy efficiency of the air conditioning system to which it is attached. There are many smart zone control in the market, each having its advantages and disadvantages. And one of the best smart zone control is the iZone Smart zoning.iZone, also known as Smart Zoning, allows regulating the cooling effects of each room individually.
So, it keeps the perfect temperature for each room owning up to 14 zones in the control system. It has a control algorithm transforming zone dampers into amazingly precise airflow monitoring devices that change automatically in 5% increments in each zone. That is ultra-fine control, which will maximize efficiency while lowering expenses. Likewise, iZone offers you more control of the AC unit from anywhere, at any time, which is suitable for increasing efficiency and savings.
In addition, Due to its WI-Fi enabling ability, users can use their smartphone or tablet to manage their air conditioning system, hoping everyone in the family can come home to a comfortable temperature.
Cost of Smartzone control
Installation of Smartzone control begins at $800-1000$ for the basic model and goes up to $2000 for higher modes. Also, the price varies depending on the total number of zones you have.
Advantage of SmartZone control
- Every room has a precise temperature.
- Individually can adjust the airflow in each zone.
- It is WI-Fi enable, which makes it easy to operate at a far-away distance.
- It is compatible with existing systems and brands.
- Controlling the device is simple using a smartphone or tablet.
- It helps conserve the energy consumption of the air conditioner.
Disadvantages of SmartZone control
- It is pretty expensive and may not be affordable by a large number of people.
Since it is WI-FI enable, it requires a WI-FI connection to keep it operating optimally.
