Zoning

What it is

Zoning divides the house into areas with similar heating and cooling requirements. Homeowners can achieve improved comfort by controlling each zone with its own thermostat. Thermostat controlled motorized dampers control the flow of heating and cooling to each room from one central heating and cooling system.

Source: AHRI

Its parts

Zone control panel

Damper

Zone valve

Two-pipe direct return: In a two-pipe system, heat emitters are piped in parallel rather than in series, so each heat emitter receives water at approximately the same temperature. Zoning is much easier in a two-pipe system, as flow through each crossover can be independently controlled using either an on/off zone valve or a modulating flow control valve (see Figure 2).

Source: U.S. Department of Energy

Thermostat

Programmable thermostats are used to control heating and cooling equipment.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy

Related pages

• Glossary: Zoning

  Its entry, and the guide's pages that use it.

Sources

1. AHRI. Zoned Heating and Cooling.
2. U.S. Department of Energy. Balancing Hydronic Systems in Multifamily Buildings (DOE Building America).
3. U.S. Department of Energy. HVAC Programmable Thermostats.