Have you ever wondered how to create a budget-friendly and comfortable HVAC system for a building with variable needs from room to room? Read on to finally know the answer.
Designing an HVAC system for the average residence is straightforward enough: generally, the entire house will need heating and/or cooling, and every room will be serviced by the same air conditioner, heat pump, furnace, or boiler. However, many commercial facilities are a little more complicated. They require different levels of heating or cooling to go to different rooms. Paying for too much heating and cooling in areas that don’t actually require them is a waste of money. That’s why a zoning system is an appropriate choice for this type of facility.
HVAC Zoning System: What’s That?
An HVAC Zoning System, also known as zoned HVAC, allows you to divide up your building into different zones that can receive different amounts of heating or cooling. This is based on the specific needs of that area.
For example, a computer lab might receive more air conditioning to ensure the machines run smoothly, while other areas of the building might cut costs by having little air conditioning. (This is a common setup in schools). Hotels and apartments usually have different zones in each hotel room or apartment space. While office buildings that are connected to warehouses tend to have more heating and cooling directed into the office space, and less in the warehouse space.
How does zoned HVAC work?
Instead of regular ductwork that goes throughout all the building, a zoned system will employ a series of motorized dampeners within the ductwork. These dampeners are located between each zone, and can open or close the ductwork leading to the zones, allowing heating and cooling to be channeled into a specific area and kept away from other areas.
Each zone generally has its own programmable thermostat, and the thermostat adjustments can control the opening and closing of the dampeners—thus controlling where the heated or cooled air does and does not go. This can save you quite a lot of money if you only want to heat or cool a certain area, but it’s also convenient because you have the capability to keep the entire building at a comfortable temperature depending on how the air is directed.
HVAC zoning: the bottom line.
Other than the carefully placed dampeners and the extra thermostats for each zone, a zoned HVAC system is quite similar to any other HVAC system. Both will require an HVAC professional to design the system with all your considerations in mind: proper sizing, the right ductwork for your building, etc.
Both standard and zoned HVAC systems will require pretty much the same care and maintenance, though a zoned system will require a little more maintenance because of the damper systems and extra thermostats.
Even though you have to invest more at the outset and possibly pay for extra maintenance, a zoned HVAC system can save you lots of money, and it’s pretty much non-negotiable in many facilities.
Contact CMC Corporate Solutions today if you’d like to learn more or if you think a zoned HVAC system is right for your facility.