Dividing a home into zones is a popular way to customize comfort and potentially increase your home’s value. You can make a single room a zone or you can establish a larger zone consisting of multiple rooms or an entire floor. Whatever you choose, zoning enables you to establish preferred temperature set points for each area to match how you use the space. For example, your media room, home office, playroom, bedrooms and kitchen could have individual set points without affecting comfort throughout the home.
Choose from ductless or ducted mini- and multi-split systems to easily create new zones and personalize your family’s comfort for your activities and lifestyle. Installation of ductless indoor units is quick and doesn’t require additional ductwork or dampers, saving you time and money. After installation, Zoned Comfort Solutions® from Mitsubishi Electric fully realize the promise of zoning by giving you control over each zone’s set point and energy consumption.
Zoning for comfort and efficiency
Our Zoned Comfort Solutions feature an outdoor condensing unit connected by small refrigerant lines to one indoor unit in a single-zone system or up to eight indoor units in a multi-zone system. A great benefit is how these all-electric zero-emission systems can be added to any home or replace your current system using your existing air-conditioning electrical hookups. If you’ve decided to go ductless, you’ll choose from indoor unit styles including ceiling cassettes, wall- and floor-mounted models. Limiting ductwork with a ductless mini-split can improve energy efficiency since long duct runs can be susceptible to air leaks and heat gain. For whole-home applications, where ducted units commonly condition larger zones and ductless units condition smaller zones, we recommend compact duct designs to centralize ductwork and keep ducts within insulated, conditioned spaces. Ducted indoor units available for Zoned Comfort Solutions include horizontal-ducted models and multi-position air handlers able to replace or supplement a furnace or boiler.
Each indoor unit maintains the set point for a designated comfort zone and continuously communicates the zone’s heating or cooling demand to the outdoor unit. Instead of remaining constant, demand in a zone changes based on occupancy, activities, the weather and the sun’s positioning at a given time of day. The outdoor unit’s INVERTER-driven compressor enables the system to ramp capacity up and down to match the demand and maintain the zone’s set point, while using the minimum energy required. If you use a zone infrequently, you can save additional energy and money by reducing or turning off the zone’s conditioning until you want to use the space. This precision defines your experience with Zoned Comfort Solutions: energy efficiency and exacting control over your indoor environment. Also, as heat-pump systems, our mini-splits provide both heating and air conditioning.
No ducts, no problem
Here’s an example of how zoning with a ductless mini-split can improve a home’s value and the homeowner experience. John Birmingham and Audrey Bromberger were near retirement and intent on upgrading their house to appeal to potential buyers. Built in 1910, the five-bedroom, 3,600-square-foot farm-style home didn’t have air conditioning, so a new HVAC system was a priority. The older home presented unique design challenges with limited space to install ductwork or conventional equipment. The couple had converted the walk-up attic into a master suite and removed the garage to install a swimming pool. Adding ducts would have required the homeowners to lower the ceilings and diminish the home’s bright, open floor plan.
Ultimately, the couple’s contractor solved these challenges and preserved the home’s charm with a ductless system from Mitsubishi Electric. The installation ended ahead of schedule, taking just three days to complete. Two outdoor units were installed, one on each side of the home, and indoor units were placed in the living room, dining room and each of the four bedrooms to give the homeowners complete control over the entire space.
Mitsubishi Electric offers Zoned Comfort Solutions for homes in every style and region. To explore how zoning could enhance your home, contact a local Diamond Contractor.
