Saddleback Plumbing Heating & Air Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Zone Control Systems’

How Zone Control Works in an Air Conditioner

Monday, July 15th, 2019

inside-air-ductHere’s the standard way central air conditioners all used to work: the air conditioned by the evaporator coil is pushed into the ventilation system by the blower fan in the air handler, sending the air to every vent in the house. On the surface, this sounds like exactly what a central AC is supposed to do.

But consider this comparison: what if you turned on one light switch in your house, and instead of a single light coming on, all the lights in the house came on? That’s incredibly wasteful of energy. But this isn’t much different than turning on the air conditioner and having cooled air sent to every room, even if those rooms don’t need cooling because no one is in them.

This is where zone control HVAC systems make the difference. Zone control divides a house into different “zones” that can be cooled separately from the others. For example, there’s no need to cool empty bedrooms when everyone is gathered downstairs.

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Why You Should Install a Zone Control System This Summer

Monday, June 15th, 2015

The days are starting to heat up, and people are beginning to rely on their air conditioners more and more to keep them cool. As you may or may not have noticed, though, central air conditioning is not a perfect system. There are two main problems with modern central air conditioning. The first is its reliance on a single thermostat to control it. This leads to uneven cooling across the house, as the system cannot compensate for differences in the warming and cooling rates of different rooms. This leads to the second problem, which is that the air conditioner cannot alter its output. It either conditions the entire house, or none of it. This leads to lots of wasted energy on rooms that don’t need it. Read on to find out how zone control can solve these problems.

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Can Zone Controls Be Installed with an Existing Furnace System?

Wednesday, February 5th, 2014

You may have heard of zone control systems, which divide your home up into individual sections which can be heated and cooled one at a time. It’s an incredibly versatile tool – allowing you to set one temperature in the kitchen and another in the bedroom, for instance – and by letting you shut off the heat in rooms you aren’t using, it can save you a great deal on energy costs. On a more abstract level, it can improve the resale value of your house, which may offset some of the cost of installation. Here in Irvine, furnace technology reigns supreme, which may appear to present a problem for installing a system such as this. Most people associate zone controls with ductless HVAC systems: multiple small units scattered throughout the home. Can zone controls be installed with an existing furnace system? In point of fact, they can.

The key to zone control is compartmentalization, which allows you to adjust the temperature in one area without affecting any other areas.  That wouldn’t seem possible with a traditional central furnace, which distributes heated are via a system of ducts. The solution is to install valves and shutters within the system itself. The valves can be placed at key locations in the ductwork, with multiple thermostats installed to let you control each one. The air handler and a few other components need to be modified as well, but the duct system itself remains intact, giving you an efficient zone control system without having to uproot your existing system.

In most cases, the installation process takes less than one day, provided it’s performed by experience professionals. In Irvine, furnace installation services like Saddleback Plumbing can install zone controls with an existing furnace system. We’ll thoroughly inspect your home and draw up a plan for installing the system, then explain every step to you before performing the operation with professionalism and care. We’ll treat your home like it was ours and are completely dedicated to your satisfaction at every stage. Give us a call today to set up an appointment for your next heating service in Irvine.

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Air Conditioning FAQ 4: How Does Zone Control Work?

Monday, March 18th, 2013

It doesn’t make much sense to cool your entire home when many spaces of your home go unused. After all, we depend upon our air conditioning to cool us, not the inanimate objects in the room. Zone control systems is a great way to make sure that you’re cooling only the areas you need to. In this post we’d like to run you through the basics of how zone control works, so that you can get a sense of whether it would be right for your home. Like any cooling or heating system, zone control should be installed by a trained professional to make sure that it works efficiently and effectively. For Laguna Hills air conditioning services, call Saddleback Plumbing today!

The first stage in zone control installation is dividing your home into zones. You may divide according to floor, type of room, or whichever way works best for you. A sample division would probably divide the interior living space into bedrooms, kitchen, living room, and basement. Each zone will be given its own thermostat, so that you can optimize the cooling level of each one. This gives you a lot of flexibility. You can further customize your zone control with programmable thermostats.

The way it works is as follows. We begin by renovating your ductwork according to your zone divisions. This typically involves installing air dampers at crucial junctions in your ductwork that will electronically allow and block air according to the new layout. It also involves setting up your existing air handler to accommodate multiple thermostats in your home. The workmanship of professional installation is key here, because zone control depends a lot on the quality of the installation for it to work effectively.

Zone controlled air conditioning can maximize your energy efficiency and home comfort. By allowing you to customize the individual zone temperatures, you are in control of your energy costs, which is important, considering the duration of our cooling season. Make sure your zone control is installed by a professional. For superior air conditioning in Laguna Hills, CA, call Saddleback Plumbing today!

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Heating Tip 2 : Getting More Efficient Heat with Zone Control

Monday, December 10th, 2012

Are you looking for a more efficient way to heat your Irvine home this winter? At Saddleback Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, we can help you save energy and reduce your heating bills with a few tips and our comprehensive zone control services. Call any time to set up a consultation.

Here’s how to get more efficient heat with zone control.

Zone control systems are designed to heat only certain parts of your home rather than heating your entire home at once. Why heat the attic when you aren’t using it? Also, the closer the temperature indoors is to the outside, the less heat you lose. A cooler attic would prevent the heat that rises from escaping.

You can also design the system to match your needs. For instance, if there are rooms that aren’t used as often, you can close off the dampers in the duct system to prevent the heat from going into that room. Not only can we install the dampers, but we can also install the thermostats for each zone and show you how to use your new system.

Another way to improve efficiency is to upgrade your old dial thermostats to digital ones. A mercury thermostat is not as accurate as a digital one that uses an electronic signal to read the temperatures inside the home. Digital thermostats help lower your utility bills because a more accurate reading prevents the heating system from producing more BTUs than it needs to, which uses more energy.

There are many energy-saving features on digital thermostats, such as programmable and humidity control features, and they can be used on a variety of systems. If you are upgrading to zone control, you’ll need one that matches that system. Call us if you want one of our heating specialists to go over the different models we can install for you.

Call Saddleback Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning for all your Irvine heating needs.

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