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Zoning for 2 Stories
If you have a two-story house with one A/C system, you have a serious cooling and heating problem. In the summer and winter, the heat rises and the upstairs suffers. This heat that rises is called stratified. It is more of a problem in the winter than summer because in the summer, the vents are discharging cool air. This somewhat negates the heat since the air is discharged at the ceiling level. In the winter, it is nearly impossible to obtain even temperature distribution because the vents are all discharging heat.
The solution is to zone the upstairs and downstairs areas. No other solution is as effective as independent zoning. The cost to zone a house is more initially, but less to operate overall. The flexibility of multiple zones is a comfort experience you will appreciate, especially if you have a large or multi-level house.
What is zoning?
Zoning is simply the most effective way of cooling a home. Why heat and cool the whole house 24 hours a day? Cool only the bedrooms at night and the living areas during occupied times.
Should we throw out our existing system and zone now?
Not necessarily, but if you are considering major remodeling or repairs to the A/C system, then explore the possibilities. Zoning does not work in every case. It depends on the way the house was built and on your personal lifestyle.
What if we are building a new house?
In a new house, zoning will add somewhat to the overall cost of the new home. Depending on the design, zoning can save 30-50% of the cost of cooling a typical home versus non-zoning.
Do I have to add a second unit to cure and existing problem?
The most effective way to cure a two-story problem is to add additional units. However, with clever ducting and automatic dampering, one unit can be worked into two zones. It depends on the economics and a common sense approach to the problem. However, before any decision is made, all options should be considered in any analysis.
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