These days, more and more homeowners are looking for ways to maximize the efficiency of their heating and cooling systems in order to lessen the burden of sky-high energy bills that have become increasingly common among households in areas with extreme climates. Regions such as the Northeast, for example, tend to get hit particularly hard when it comes to seasonal energy costs. With winters typically being perpetually cold, if not downright frigid, most households in the Northeast can easily spend anywhere from $200 to $700 per month in exchange for an adequate amount of heat. And during those long, hot summers, families looking to be reasonably comfortable in their own homes are forced to spend several hundred dollars each month to cover the cost of air conditioning and cooling.
In fact, households in areas such as the Northeast tend to get little relief as far as “off season” energy bills are concerned. With the more moderate spring and fall seasons getting shorter and shorter by the year (thanks, global warming), families in areas subject to extreme heat or cold are finding that those periods of reduced energy bills as the result of not having to heat or cool a house are rapidly dwindling. As the owner of WT Mechanical, an New Jersey-based HVAC company, Walter Tulecki understands how burdensome it can be for homeowners to maintain comfortable temperatures within their homes and pay off their utility bills at the same time. Fortunately, he does have one suggestion as to how people can heat and cool their homes in a more efficient manner, and it comes in the form of the two-zone heating and cooling system.
A two-zone heating and cooling system works by breaking the house into distinct areas, or zones. Instead of treating the entire house as a single unit from a heating or cooling perspective, a two-zone system is designed to heat or cool each zone of the house separately, in accordance with homeowner specifications. Why is this important? The larger a house is, the more difficult and expensive it becomes to heat or cool it efficiently. Those who live in homes with multiple floors tend to especially have trouble heating their homes in an efficient manner. Since heat rises, keeping the lower level of the house warm can become quite challenging. With a two-zone system, a homeowner can control each zone of his house separately and heat or cool it on an as-needed basis. Two-zone systems can be especially useful in homes with open floor plans or two-story rooms, which are great from a design perspective but can make heating and cooling a challenge.
Let’s take a person with a two-story house who tends to spend most of his evenings watching TV in his first floor living room. While that individual is bound to want to be warm while he lounges downstairs during those winter months, he probably does not want to waste money heating his entire house in the process. After all, why should he pay to heat the upstairs when he isn’t using it? With a two-zone heating system, a fan can control the climate to only heat the zone in which he happens to spend the most time. The result is a more comfortable climate within the house, and a much lower utility bill at the end of the month.
Of course, a two-zone heating and cooling system on its own is not enough to optimally minimize energy costs throughout the years. While this type of system can certainly help on that front, homeowners need to learn how to set and use their systems to heat and cool their homes as efficiently as possible. For many, the process can involve a fair degree of trial and error before finding the ideal setting that offers just the right amount of temperature-related comfort at the most reasonable cost.
If you’re a homeowner who has been struggling with high energy bills throughout the years, then consider asking a trusted professional about the costs and benefits of installing a two-zone heating and cooling system. Remember, those winters don’t seem to be getting any warmer, and those summers don’t seem to be getting any cooler. You might as well do what you can to make heating and cooling your house as simple and inexpensive as can be.
