3 Reasons To Retrofit Your HVAC System To Be Multi-Zoned
In general, people don't tend to upgrade or replace their home's heating and cooling systems until there is a significant malfunction that necessitates either a major overhaul or an entire replacement. However, there are several instances where homeowners could benefit from retrofitting their heating and air conditioning systems to be multi-zoned.
Multi-zoned HVAC systems allow you to adjust the thermostat to different temperatures in different zones throughout the home, whether one zone at a time or all the zones at once. The system is designed to open and close vents or dampers in each room or zone to achieve the selected temperature setting. Here are several examples of when this upgrade is beneficial.
Empty Nesters
After years of raising children in the home and, therefore, needing most if not all of the rooms to be heated and cooled, empty nesters often come to realize that they are heating and cooling rooms for no reason after their offspring have flown the coop, so to speak. Installing a multi-zoned system will allow empty nesters to easily control the temperature setting in various zones within their home from the comfort of a main control panel or an app on their mobile device. In other words, no more traipsing through the house and up and down stairs to go to each room.
Medical Conditions
Certain medical conditions can worsen when the temperature is too hot or too cold for an individual with a health condition such as multiple sclerosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. If someone in your household needs to be cooler or warmer than the rest of the household, a multi-zoned system will be beneficial. That way, their bedroom will be at the optimal temperature to keep them comfortable. Also, you can increase and decrease temperatures in each room as the individual moves about during their day, if necessary.
Multi-Generational Living
As people age, their bodies have a more difficult time regulating body temperature. Older people tend to have lower body temperatures than younger generations, which means they get cold more easily, particularly at night, and prefer to have a higher thermostat setting. If you are moving your elderly family member into your home, you should consider retrofitting your home's HVAC system with multi-zoned functionality. That way, your senior family member will be more comfortable, particularly during the night when they are sleeping in their rooms, without overheating the rest of the family.