THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 25, 1996 TAG: 9605230282
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 26 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: COVER STORY
SOURCE: BY MARY ELLEN MILES, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: 97 lines
Have you entered ``The Zone'' yet? The multiple heating and air-conditioning zone, that is. With sauna like weather already steaming us , it may be worth considering a change in your current cooling system.
Using heat pumps, for example, a typical two-zone system for a two-story house would require a downstairs heat pump and thermostat, an outside condenser, an inside electric air handler, and for upstairs, another air handler, perhaps in the attic, a second heat pump and thermostat, and another outside condenser. Each thermostat would control a separate system.
``It's easy to think of two zones as twin sister units,'' says Guy Smith, owner of Guy Smith Heating & Cooling in Virginia Beach. ``They can be piped in such as manner so that you only have one outside unit. This works wonderfully, too, but if the system breaks down, you won't have a back up unit like you would with two units.''
With two systems, if the upstairs system fails, he says, at least you can grab a pillow and head for that cooler climate downstairs. Smith has been in the heating and air-conditioning business for 33 years. ``I personally wouldn't want to live in a house without at least two zones,'' he says.
There are several advantages to multiple zone systems. Zones are important now because houses are being built larger and larger, Smith says. ``And it's usually much more economical and easier to control a two-zone system rather than a one-zone in a two-story house,'' he says.
Convenient for summer nights, you can turn on your air-conditioning upstairs and leave the downstairs one off, or just leave it at a higher temperature than the upstairs one.
If everyone's sleeping upstairs, it's much nicer to have a thermostat upstairs than have to trek downstairs to fiddle with the controls, says Smith. Then, in the morning, you can start cooling the downstairs and turn the upstairs one down.
Anybody with a multistory house or a house of at least 1,500 square feet can benefit from at least two zones, says Smith. It's especially convenient and practical if you rent out part of your home or have other family members living with you. Separate zones can be installed on the same floor, says Smith, especially in large house.
For instance, one system may be put in the front of the house, and one in back.
Jon and Jenny Quinn of Norfolk had Smith's company convert their 40 year old house to two zones for air-conditioning this month. ``It's really ideal for us,'' says Jenny. She has emphysema and asthma and needs the house kept quite cool. They also have a daughter and grandson living in the upstairs portion of the home.
They had a boiler system for heat and window units for air-conditioning, so they required duct work. The work was completed in five days. The old system didn't filter the air enough, she said: ``Dust was just running wild.'' While the ducts were being installed, the Quinns had an electronic air cleaner added. ``It's really helped my breathing a lot,'' she says.
Whether your house has a heat pump (air-to-air or water-to-air), gas or electric system, you can add another zone. Janitrol and Carrier products are the best sellers in this area.
Most existing dwellings, says Smith, have one-zone systems that were installed over 15 years ago. Two-zone technology has been around for at least 30 years, he says, but it seems like only people with higher incomes heard about it. Typically, in order to save money, only one zone was installed.
During the winter, a heat pump and gas or oil furnace could be used together, ``like dual fuel,'' says Smith. ``When the outside temperature gets to a certain point, it cuts the heat pump off and the gas or oil furnace kicks in as a backup.''
People are converting their older systems into two zones, Smith says, because they've heard about the advantages of doing so. More and more, builders are automatically building two zones into new construction houses, as well as people who're having custom houses built.
It's best if the system is built oversized by just a little, says Smith. ``Because you can't fix something if it's too small. And a third zone may have to be added for compensation if the unit is too small.'' If it's too oversized, you'll have a moisture problem. In new construction, oversized systems are not common, says Smith. But if you're having a system built, be sure to ask for it.
If you're purchasing a townhouse or condo, it could also benefit you to look for one with a two-zone system. Jack Oliver, sales manager of Smith & Keene, in Chesapeake, says, ``if your house has a lot of square footage, you'd be way ahead of the game if you have two zones. We encourage our customers to get such a system.''
A lot of newer townhouses and condos have cathedral ceilings and lofts in them, which account for heat being collected upstairs, says Oliver. ``There's no way to control both floors in those places with only one thermostat,'' he says.
Depending on the type of work required, such as ducts being installed, adding a zone to an existing dwelling may cost $4,000 or more. ``It's a long term investment,'' says Smith. If you're not planning on staying the dwelling, you may not want to consider another zone, especially with the typically low resale values of townhouses and condos.
But, ``if you're planning on staying in your house and it's at least two stories or you have a few thousand square feet, you need to think about it,'' he says, ``because over the long haul a heat pump in one zone will cost you a lot of extra money.
A two zone system,'' Smith says, ``will keep you totally toasty in the winter and cool in the summer for half the electricity.'' According to Smith, zones add comfort, save you money in the long run and will probably give you a higher resale value. by CNB