The Pros and Cons of Zoned Air Conditioning | Smarter Air

Phill Crawley

Smarter Air & Electrical

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The Pros and Cons of Zoned Air Conditioning

 

When the temperature heats up, all thoughts turn to chilling out. In Australia, we are well experienced in scorching hot days and air conditioning has become an essential part of our homes — a government report from 2014 found three out of four households have some form of air conditioning.

The two most popular types of air conditioning are split system and ducted. A split system air conditioner consists of wall-mounted units designed to cool or heat a single room of the house. They are lower cost and efficient but typically not as effective as zoned ducted air conditioning at regulating the temperature of an entire house due to their limited capacity.

Ducted systems can achieve zoned air conditioning as the aircon system is divided into areas (or “zones”) that can be cooled or heated independently. In this blog, we’ll discuss zoned air conditioning — how it works, the main components and the pros and cons of choosing this system.

zoned air conditioning zoned grille installation

How Does Zoned Air Conditioning Work?

Zoned air conditioning allows you to regulate different temperatures in rooms throughout the home simultaneously. It’s powered by a central unit, typically located in the roof, with a series of ducts connecting to various zones in your home. A zone is usually a main living area but for greater control, you can set one up in every separate room or area.

Inside the central unit is mechanical valves called dampeners which control the intensity of airflow. Most air conditioner systems offer varying degrees of airflow for every zone, allowing you to fine-tune the temperature.

Components Inside Zoned Air Conditioning

  • Indoor unit: Main unit that delivers temperature control air, typically installed in the roof.
  • Outdoor unit: Connects to the indoor unit to pump fresh air inside and expel heat gathered by the indoor unit.
  • Vents: Subtle gaps in the ceiling that allow air to be delivered to each zone.
  • Zones: Dedicated areas of the home where you can control the climate individually to your preferences.
  • Control Units: Wall-mounted tablet or phone app that lets you select the temperature for each zone. Advantage Air MyAir controls are an Australian manufacturer that lets you set temperatures, measure activity and track usage.
  • Sensors: Thermostat sensors measure the temperature of each zone in order to regulate it effectively.
  • Dampers: Controls the amount of airflow into a zone.

pros of zoned air conditioning

Pros Of Zoned Air Conditioning

There’s a number of advantages to zoned air conditioning. If you have a larger home, it’s the most efficient cooling method. Here are a few other reasons why zoned air conditioning gets the tick of approval.

Full Temperature Control

Intelligent zoning controls let you cool or heat your home as you please. Select individual climates and airflow or shut off unused rooms. You wouldn’t have one light switch for your entire house, and your air conditioning shouldn’t be any different. Most systems also let you set scheduled times, so you can fit them into your family routine.

Quiet and discreet

With the outdoor unit discreetly placed in the garden and the central unit tucked away inside the roof, it’s a quiet and subtle solution that won’t impact your living space. It also saves wall space for family photos, art or minimalism.

Easier To Maintain

Instead of having multiple units spread across your home, zoned air conditioning only has a single unit to service and maintain. 

Protects Health

Ducted air conditioners can also come with a home air purifier. These have built-in HEPA air filtration and purification that removes harmful allergens, mould, pollen and dust from the air. It helps weak immune systems and asthma sufferers and is an especially good option for the elderly and young children.

zoned air conditioning smarter air outside

Cons Of Zoned Air Conditioning

Before you take the leap for a zoned air conditioning system, there’s a couple of things you will need to know first.

Higher Installation Cost

Zoned air conditioning units are more advanced and cost more to purchase than a simple split system. A ducted system is also more complicated and requires more ducts and vents to be fitted. Despite the higher installation costs, its higher efficiency means you can recoup that back in savings on your electricity bill.

Only Suitable For Certain Residences

Due to the bulkier unit, it may be difficult to fit into the space available.

Involves Careful Planning

Although it takes more time to plan, a careful installation design will ensure that the system doesn’t detract from the aesthetic of the home and functions at its peak. 

Requires expert maintenance

Air conditioning requires servicing at regular intervals — around once a year depending on the manufacturer and frequency of use. With more advanced components, you will need to seek a professional technician to ensure optimal performance. On the flipside, ducted systems are very reliable and built for longevity. Our service includes a 12-24 month manufacturer warranty on systems, plus a 10-year workmanship guarantee on the installation.

Speak To Smarter Air & Electrical About Zoned Air Conditioning

Hopefully, this has helped you gain a better understanding of the pros and cons of zoned air conditioning. If you are interested in learning more, check out our FAQs or contact our friendly team and we would be happy to have a chat.

Click here to contact us online or call 1300 476 421 today!

 

Jason Gent
These guys were amazing to deal with, I can see why they have all 5 star reviews. Great communication, value, price and service. Every team member ...
Jason Gent
These guys were amazing to deal with, I can see why they have all 5 star reviews. Great communication, value, price and service. Every team member from sales to admin/ scheduling and installers were prompt, courteous and a pleasure to deal with. The whole process from start to finish was flawless, thanks again!
Jason Gent
Jason Gent
Aftaar Atik
A well deserved 5 🌟 rating to Smarter AIR & Electrical for a Samsung Ducted Systems. From initiation to completion everything was a breeze...
Aftaar Atik
A well deserved 5🌟 rating to Smarter AIR & Electrical for a Samsung Ducted Systems. From initiation to completion everything was a breeze. These guys are the best in Brisbane and I highly recommend them for all your air-conditioning requirements. Benji and team showed up on time and did a amazing job,also cleaned up the site.
Aftaar Atik
Aftaar Atik
D Llyd
Clean looking finish. Quick install. Professional from start to finish! Highly recommended if you're considering ducted air-conditioning.
D Llyd
Clean looking finish. Quick install. Professional from start to finish! Highly recommended if you're considering ducted air-conditioning.
D Llyd
D Llyd
Nicole & Brindley Rouse
Huge thanks to Benji and the team at Smarter Air Electrical for an awesome job installing our new aircon! From start to finish, they...
Nicole & Brindley Rouse
Huge thanks to Benji and the team at Smarter Air Electrical for an awesome job installing our new aircon! From start to finish, they were professional, efficient, and really took care in everything they did. Even the apprentices were fantastic—you could see how well they worked together, and the whole team just got stuck in and got the job done. They were careful around the house, cleaned up after themselves, and made the whole process super easy for us. A special thanks to Amanda in the office for always keeping us informed. We are very happy! Thanks for making our days a lot cooler 🙂
Nicole & Brindley Rouse
Nicole & Brindley Rouse
Philip Elisara
Excellent service from Alex and Amanda in the office communication was on point always kept us up to date with what was going on and ...
Philip Elisara
Excellent service from Alex and Amanda in the office communication was on point always kept us up to date with what was going on and talking us through products etc. To the install team Led by Benji and his team the boys were respectful cleaned up and did an excellent job. Also a mention to Jake the electrician as well thanks guys the best experience with any company hands down. We will be recommending the team to anyone after ducted aircon.
Philip Elisara
Philip Elisara
Kayley Parkinson
We couldn't be happier with our new ducted air conditioning system. Alex, Louie and the team at Smarter Air and Electrical were amazing to deal ...
Kayley Parkinson
We couldn't be happier with our new ducted air conditioning system. Alex, Louie and the team at Smarter Air and Electrical were amazing to deal with throughout the entire process. The team were polite, friendly, punctual and their workmanship is excellent. Highly recommend!
Kayley Parkinson
Kayley Parkinson
Sean & Katrina Yacoubian
The installers were excellent. Arrived on time and we did a preliminary walk around to check positioning of everything was correct. Very stress...
Sean & Katrina Yacoubian
The installers were excellent. Arrived on time and we did a preliminary walk around to check positioning of everything was correct. Very stress free install. Price was extremely good. Would highly recommend giving Smarter Air & Electrical a call if you’re thinking about air conditioning.
Sean & Katrina Yacoubian
Sean & Katrina Yacoubian
Jason Trembath
A big thank you to Benji who was very friendly and professional. He provided a great service and ran through questions we had. He fixed ...
Jason Trembath
A big thank you to Benji who was very friendly and professional. He provided a great service and ran through questions we had. He fixed up a few items which was greatly appreciated to ensure we have our system running well. I highly recommend Benji from Smarter Air. Thanks as well go Amanda and Andrea as well for being warm, friendly and professional to deal with when booking everything in, and getting our service and repairs in straight away.
Jason Trembath
Jason Trembath
Greg Chijoff
Not Happy Jan. Despite the company being told in advance of my unique situation - a 3 storey townhouse with limited roof void space, necessitating the ...
Greg Chijoff
Not Happy Jan. Despite the company being told in advance of my unique situation - a 3 storey townhouse with limited roof void space, necessitating the probable use of a scissor-lift and access through the steel roof, Smarter Air accepted the job for ducted air installation and took a deposit. Deposit transferred November 29. First site inspection January 10. Project declined January 13. Not only has this set back other activity such as the installation of roof top Solar panels, but I had declined two other reasonably priced proposals [also Black Friday deals]. Now I have to go back to scratch and restart with new Project quoting from competitors. I have elevated the star rating by '1' as I did eventually get the refund back, after a reminder two days later.
Greg Chijoff
Greg Chijoff
James Herbert
We couldn't be happier with the fantastic service provided by Smarter Electrical! They recently upgraded our air conditioning system, and the entire process was seamless ...
James Herbert
We couldn't be happier with the fantastic service provided by Smarter Electrical! They recently upgraded our air conditioning system, and the entire process was seamless from start to finish. The team was professional, punctual, and incredibly knowledgeable. They took the time to explain all the options available and made sure we chose the right system for our home. The installation was done efficiently and with great attention to detail, leaving everything clean and tidy afterward. Our new air con system works perfectly, and we can already feel the difference in comfort and efficiency. We would highly recommend Smarter Electrical to anyone looking for a great service and expert advice. A big thank you to the team, especially Tom, Hayden and Chris for their excellent work!
James Herbert
James Herbert

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