HVAC Zoning Best Practices and Recommendations
One of my biggest pet peeves in my current house is the temperature difference throughout the house. The thermostat is located in an open area close to the kitchen on the 1st floor (which gets affected by heat generated by cooking) and in the winter our 2nd level bedrooms are much colder. Being a tract built home, there are without a doubt lots of issues with the system balancing and connections of the ducting, but there are some inherent issues caused by depending on a single thermostat in a 3 level house (2 floors + basement). Wanting to avoid similar issues in our upcoming new build, I had this grand idea of having a zoned system (minimum of 3 zones to service all 3 levels). After reading up on it here, I got the feeling that it’s a discouraged practice. I really do not want to settle with a system that in the end will not be able to provide us with the comfort levels that we’re setting out to accomplish.
Are there alternatives to zoning? If not, what are the major aspects to keep in mind when planning such a system? Also, are there any recommendations on products that have a performance edge over others (ie: specific furnaces, control units, dampers, etc)?
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Replies
Mike,
There are lots of alternatives.
1. Zoning a hydronic system is much simpler than zoning a forced-air system.
2. A house can be heated with separate space heaters -- for example, gas-fired space heaters with through-the-wall vents.
3. A house can be heated by several ductless minisplit air-source heat pumps.
4. It should also be pointed out that an excellent thermal envelope -- as close to airtight as posssible, and highly insulated -- will greatly reduce the chance of room-to-room temperature differences.