Almost every complaint that leads to a zoning conversation sounds the same. The upstairs is hot in July and the downstairs is freezing. Or the bedroom over the garage never gets comfortable no matter where the thermostat is set. One thermostat is trying to speak for a whole house, and the house is not listening.
Plumbing Pros designs, installs and services zoned heating and cooling across Easton, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Wilson and the Lehigh Valley, and heating and cooling across Warren County, New Jersey.
What zoning actually is
A zoned system splits your house into separate areas, each with its own thermostat. Motorized dampers inside the ductwork open and close to send conditioned air where it is being asked for and hold it back where it is not. One furnace, one air conditioner, several thermostats.
Most houses divide naturally. Upstairs and downstairs. Bedrooms and living space. A finished basement or an addition that was never part of the original plan.
Before we sell you zoning
Zoning is the right answer often enough, and it is also the expensive answer to problems that sometimes have a cheaper cause. We check these first.
Duct sizing and leakage. If a run to the second floor is undersized or leaking into an attic, no amount of zoning fixes it. That is a ductwork job, and it usually costs less.
Return air. Plenty of two story houses have supply upstairs and returns only downstairs. Air has to get back to the furnace somehow, and if it cannot, the floor stays uncomfortable.
System size. An oversized air conditioner cools the thermostat’s room fast and shuts off before the rest of the house catches up. Zoning an oversized system can make short cycling worse rather than better.
Insulation and windows. A room over a garage is usually a construction problem wearing an HVAC costume.
We would rather find one of those and tell you than fit dampers to a system that was never going to work.
When zoning is the right call
- Two or more floors with a genuine temperature split that ductwork alone will not solve
- An addition tied into the original system
- Rooms used at very different times, so you are paying to condition empty space
- A finished basement that runs cold while the rest of the house is fine
Where zoning is not practical, usually in a house without usable ductwork, a ductless mini split does the same job a different way and often costs less to run.
What we install
Zone control panels, motorized dampers fitted into existing or new ductwork, bypass or modulating arrangements to protect the equipment, and smart thermostats for each zone. Where the equipment supports it, variable speed and multi stage systems zone far better than single stage ones, because they can throttle down instead of switching fully on and off.
What it costs
Our diagnostic and assessment fee is $85, waived for service plan members. After hours dispatch is $195. Zoning pricing depends on the number of zones, the state of the existing ductwork and the equipment you already have, and you get the number before any work starts. Financing through Wisetack is available from $500 to $65,000 for approved applicants.
Why us
- Master HVAC-R licence 9380, held by owner Salvatore Sciorta
- We rule out ductwork and sizing first, because zoning cannot fix either one
- 4.9 stars across 650 Google reviews
- BBB accredited, A plus rating since June 2024
Common questions
Will zoning lower my energy bills?
It can, by not conditioning space nobody is using. How much depends on your house and how you live in it, so we are not going to put a percentage on it before we have seen the place.
Can you zone a system that is already installed?
Usually yes, if the ductwork is accessible and in good shape. That is what the assessment is for.
How many zones do I need?
Most houses here work well with two or three. More zones is not automatically better, and past a point you are adding cost and complexity for very little comfort.
Is a smart thermostat the same thing as zoning?
No. A smart thermostat controls when your system runs. Zoning controls where the air goes. They work well together and they solve different problems.
Book an assessment
Call or text (610) 686-9490, or email info@plumbingprospa.com.
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Master HVAC-R licensed. BBB Accredited A+. 4.9 stars from 650+ Easton and Lehigh Valley homeowners.