We’re going to get in a little bit of design. We broke it down to five steps. We don’t want to overcomplicate a zoning system design, but we want to give you the places to be conscientious. We want to give you the places where you get in trouble. So give you some good design practices. And then I will try and do my best at the end of the five steps to kind of give you a breakdown of using all five.

It was one of the last jobs I did before coming to work here and basically applied the five rules. The first one, which we keep harping on, which is get your customer’s input. You know, nobody knows that house better than them. Are they an empty nester? Or what are there day time zones? Night time zones? Typically, if you just identify how they move around the house throughout the day, that can help you identify zones.

You also want to make sure you talk to them. You know, different things you do any entertaining. What about special comfort requirements? In-law suite, a workout room. You know, just talk to. Where are you? Over conditioning, under conditioning. You know, the common pain points are always the bedrooms on the second floor. Rooms with more than one outside wall.

The areas of the house only have one outside wall or always seem to be pretty decent. But some of the bedrooms and other areas that have 2 or 3 outside walls, they’re completely different than the rest of the house and always a challenge and thusly a good need for zoning.

Second rule: load calculation. Our company installed the heating air conditioning system here 3 to 5 years ago. I know it was properly sized, tuned up, and working correctly. If everything looks right and the ductwork seems fine, it’s just physics. The second floor has more load. Hot air rises. The thermostat is on the first floor, so the second floor often ends up uncomfortable.

If you know the system is sized correctly and there are no duct issues, you can often apply zoning without much additional steps. But if you’re unsure, inspect the system and ductwork first. Make sure everything looks in order, and then proceed with load calculations if needed.

The third rule is putting thermostats in the zones they control. A common mistake is placing a thermostat in a hallway. The hallway is not the same temperature as bedrooms or rooms with multiple exterior walls. That leads to discomfort and unhappy customers.

You could use a hallway thermostat with remote sensors to average conditions across rooms, but the system must know the actual room temperatures, not just hallway conditions.

Next rule: every primary suite on the second floor should have its own thermostat. Even if it’s the only thermostat upstairs, placing it in the primary bedroom ensures the person paying for the system gets the comfort they expect, which improves satisfaction with the investment.

The fifth rule is about avoiding overly small micro-zones. For example, trying to zone a single small office with only one six-inch run is poor design practice. It can create airflow, noise, and equipment issues.

With older PSC blowers, you can often go down to about a third of the ductwork without issues. With ECM systems, you may go down to around 25% if properly managed, sometimes using a bypass to control static pressure.

With variable-speed systems and proper controls, small zones can be managed by locking the system into lower stages when only a small zone calls. With larger or multiple zones calling, the system can stage up to full capacity.

The HeatPumPro panel uses separate outputs: one for the air handler and one for the condensing unit. The air handler output controls airflow staging, while the condensing unit output controls BTU staging. Small zones can be restricted to lower airflow stages to prevent system issues.

If a customer wants a very small zone and it is not ideal, alternatives include wild runs or an AloneZone board. Wild runs are un-dampered supply runs that help balance load in problem areas. The AloneZone board allows a thermostat and damper to function without directly controlling equipment, piggybacking on other active zones.

If zoning must go below recommended duct percentages, a properly sized bypass can be used to manage static pressure.

Now tying the five rules together, there was a job outside Chagrin Falls with a large glass facade causing comfort issues. The front of the house was extremely uncomfortable year-round, while other areas were fine.

The homeowner also insisted on a thermostat in a small office. However, there was only one supply run there, making it a poor candidate for zoning. The AloneZone approach was not suitable because it would not solve comfort issues if the rest of the system was not actively running.

Instead, the solution was to treat the front foyer as wild runs, leaving them undampened. This ensured that whenever the system ran, that area received consistent airflow and conditioning. The office could then function as a proper zone without being undersized.

In this setup, cooling or heating anywhere in the house also conditions the front foyer, helping balance temperatures. The office zone still operates independently, but overall comfort improves because the problematic area is always receiving airflow.

The AloneZone system works best when other zones run frequently enough to support it. If it is the only zone calling, it will not turn on equipment, which can lead to discomfort.

The main advantage of zoning is immediate customer comfort feedback. Unlike high-efficiency equipment or humidifiers that take time to show results, zoning produces immediate temperature changes that customers notice quickly.

Finally, when designing zones, group similar rooms and exposures together. Avoid splitting east and west sides across floors or creating many small zones. Bedrooms, especially upstairs, often benefit from being grouped appropriately based on usage and exposure.

In review discussions, most designs typically land on three zones, often grouping dining and living areas together and separating bedroom areas for better comfort control.