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!

 

Scott Booth
We had a great experience from quote to install. I spent a year shopping around for air conditioning solutions and this mob had the best ...
Scott Booth
We had a great experience from quote to install. I spent a year shopping around for air conditioning solutions and this mob had the best price and the best service by far. An easy decision.
Scott Booth
Scott Booth
Jade Marsh (Jadey k450)
Had ducted aircon installed very promptly. Chose this company due to their customer satisfaction and importance for continuing to offer support. Have had to have ...
Jade Marsh (Jadey k450)
Had ducted aircon installed very promptly. Chose this company due to their customer satisfaction and importance for continuing to offer support. Have had to have technicians out twice to replace sensors and the second technician was absolutely phenomenal and gave use amazing advice.
Jade Marsh (Jadey k450)
Jade Marsh (Jadey k450)
Goran Radosavljevic
Very professional and friendly people at the same time, so easy to deal with. They always come on promissed time and deliver all 100%. They run ...
Goran Radosavljevic
Very professional and friendly people at the same time, so easy to deal with. They always come on promissed time and deliver all 100%. They run like ants, everyone knows what he's supposed to do and before you know it's ready to be turned on, when they start showing you how to control your new AC. Well done Smarter A&E, very happy with what you've accomplished. I strongly recommend this business to everyone.
Goran Radosavljevic
Goran Radosavljevic
Zuzana Husak
Smarter Air & Electrical made the choosing and installation of aircon a breeze. From the first contact, through inspection and installation I was impressed with ...
Zuzana Husak
Smarter Air & Electrical made the choosing and installation of aircon a breeze. From the first contact, through inspection and installation I was impressed with the professional service, punctuality, tidiness and politeness. I would highly recommend the team, in fact I already have. Thank you Alex, Davis, Tom and the boys.
Zuzana Husak
Zuzana Husak
Dave B
The guys were great. Professional, polite and efficient. Arrived on time, completed all work to a very high standard and left the house cleaner than ...
Dave B
The guys were great. Professional, polite and efficient. Arrived on time, completed all work to a very high standard and left the house cleaner than when they started. Would not hesitate to recommend Smarter Air to anyone.
Dave B
Dave B
Aslam Chapri
Excellent!!! The customer service was outstanding. Alex went above and beyond to help me finding the product I wanted. They efficiently and in time replaced ...
Aslam Chapri
Excellent!!! The customer service was outstanding. Alex went above and beyond to help me finding the product I wanted. They efficiently and in time replaced my old ducted aircon system. The installation team, Tom, Jacob, Levi and rest of the team were highly professional and polite and tidied up nicely after completing installation. Davis' initial site inspection was very informative. I highly recommend Smarter Air & Electrical.
Aslam Chapri
Aslam Chapri
Frankie Smith
Contact from start to finish was good, company was very responsive. Guys who installed were polite and professional. Price was much better than other quotes ...
Frankie Smith
Contact from start to finish was good, company was very responsive. Guys who installed were polite and professional. Price was much better than other quotes we got too. Happy all around, would highly recommend
Frankie Smith
Frankie Smith
Aaron Bey
Had our ducted aircon installed today the team was on time very professional and very efficient and tidy. It has been an amazing experience...
Aaron Bey
Had our ducted aircon installed today the team was on time very professional and very efficient and tidy. It has been an amazing experience from initial contact to quoting through to site visit and install. Didn’t try to sell us anymore than we need and really knew what they were talking about. Would highly recommend to anyone look to have air con installed. Thanks to the whole team.
Aaron Bey
Aaron Bey
Adam Staier
These guys are great. From initial quote right up to demonstration after it was installed they’ve been brilliant. Ours was a tricky install...
Adam Staier
These guys are great. From initial quote right up to demonstration after it was installed they’ve been brilliant. Ours was a tricky install due to access issues and they absolutely nailed it. Friendly professional staff and they work hard.
Adam Staier
Adam Staier
Anna Marcantelli
Have had the team from Smarter Air and Electrical do an aircon system for our shop and it’s absolutely changed our life. We were...
Anna Marcantelli
Have had the team from Smarter Air and Electrical do an aircon system for our shop and it’s absolutely changed our life. We were dying from the heat before but the guys had it installed in no time and couldn’t have been any easier to deal with! From calling up and booking in to having the system installed was seamless and the super friendly team made the decision that much better! Will continue to use these guys and always recommend to anyone in the future needing any air conditioning and electrical work done!
Anna Marcantelli
Anna Marcantelli

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