#zone control

During the cold days winter it's nice to get cozy by the fireplace or curl up under a warm blanket.. or in the summer you might find yourself standing in front of the air conditioner vents or a fan for a little relief from the heat.   Is this because it's just not possible for your entire home to be comfortable?  It may be because you are concerned with the energy use or $$ being spent to keep the home cool/warm OR it may be that certain areas of your home just never seem to be comfortable.  If one or more rooms in your home seem to ALWAYS be outside your "comfort zone", Ecojay's SmartZone may be able to help.  Directing airflow (heat/cool) to the rooms that you want, can make rooms in your home comfortable when you want them to be.

Installing zone control in your home allows you to add thermostats to several areas (rooms) so temperature can be controlled throughout the house.  Most homes have only a single thermostat located in a "central" area.  This means the temperature of the whole house is determined at this one spot.  With zone control, temperature is measured and controlled in each zone for more comfort everywhere.

There are many reasons that zone control might be desirable (or even necessary). 

Homes with two stories where the upstairs is regularly warmer than downstairs during the winter can benefit from zone control.  

If a house has a fireplace that causes some areas of the home to get too cold when a fire is burning, zone control can help balance the temperature and keep those cold areas warm. 

Bonus rooms or unused bedrooms can be turned off with zone control when not in use.

Computer rooms or grow areas that need to be a different (more consistent) temperature than the rest of the house.

Zone control can balance temperatures to  create a comfortable living space throughout your home or create different temperatures throughout a building for varying needs.

Just a few short years ago, WiFi thermostats were only made by a very few companies starting with Ecobee and RadioThermostat, followed by Nest.  A couple of years pass and big names in the HVAC industry (Honeywell, Emerson, Venstar, etc) join the WiFi thermostat party.  In 2017 we have more to chose from than can easily be kept up with.  Note: All prices as of this article publish date.

All of the WiFi thermostats listed below will work with any SmartZone

I am sure there will be even more on the market in 2018, we will keep watching the WiFi thermostat bubble grow!  More than 15 are listed here (and I know they are not all listed).  If you know of any more, comment or tweet to us @zoning_supply

Bosch - $ 170, 4-Heat, 2-Cool, GE/HP, Hum, deHum, Color: White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073XHD8BB

Ecobee Si - $ 145, 2-Heat, 2-Cool, Color: White https://www.amazon.com/ecobee-Thermostat-Heat-2-NON-Touch-Screen/dp/B008F40R4C/

TOP PICK

*Ecobee 3 - $ 169, 3-Heat, 2-Cool, Best for zoning in our opinion. https://www.amazon.com/ecobee3-Smart-Thermostat-Works-Amazon/dp/B06W56TBLN/

PREMIUM CHOICE

Ecobee 4 - $ 247, 3-Heat, 2-Cool, Alexa-Enabled https://www.amazon.com/ecobee4-Alexa-Enabled-Thermostat-Sensor-Amazon/dp/B06W2LQY6L/

Emerson Sensi Color Touch - $ 169, 2 Heat, 2 Cool, GE/HP https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3CEUDH?psc=1

Emerson Sensi - $ 99, 1 Heat, 1 Cool, GE/HP https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HHE6CW2?psc=1

Nest - $ 249, 3-Heat, 2-Cool https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0131RG6VK/

Honeywell Color Touch - $ 190 https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-TH9320WF5003-Touchscreen-Thermostat-Amazon/dp/B00G4CIG7M/

Honeywell Lyric T5 - $ 110 https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-RCHT8610WF2006-Programmable-Touchscreen-Thermostat/dp/B01LTHM8LG/

Honeywell Lyric Round - $ 170, Geofencing https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-Thermostat-Contractor-Version-Amazon/dp/B00KX3M1LA/

Honeywell Basic 7-day - $ 90, 1-Heat, 1-Cool, GE, Color: White (Yes this is WiFi--even though it doesn't look like anything other than an inexpensive thermostat) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y6M2OUC/

Honeywell B&W Touch - $ 118 https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-Wi-Fi-Programmable-Touchscreen-Thermostat/dp/B00EP6C8UA/

iDevices Thermostat - $ 112 https://www.amazon.com/iDevices-Thermostat-Wi-Fi-Works-Amazon/dp/B019GQM6LY/

VALUE CHOICE #1

Lux PRO GEO - $ 115, Geofencing, Mount Vertical or Horizontal, Color: Black or White https://www.amazon.com/Lux-Products-GEO-WH-Thermostat-Amazon/dp/B010PTKWW6/

RadioThermostat - $ 99, 2-Heat, 2-Cool, GE/HP, Modules for Zigbee & Z-Wave https://www.amazon.com/Radio-Thermostat-Programmable-Enabled-Controls/dp/B00KQS35XA/

VALUE CHOICE #2

*Vine - $ 99, Settings Knob, Color Screen & Night-Light https://www.amazon.com/Vine-Programmable-Thermostat-Touchscreen-Nightlight/dp/B01JU1DZN8/

Vine Touch - $ 129 Color Touch Screen, https://www.amazon.com/Vine-Smart-Wi-Fi-Thermostat-TJ-919/dp/B01N7UNSAP/

Any information in this article should be verified with the manufacturer of each product listed.  Specifications, prices & availability are all subject to change and will not be kept current on this post.  Please email us if you have any questions.

Some systems with many small ducts leading to each zone can require lots of dampers.  The example below is a 2 zone system that requires 6 dampers per zone (12 total).  If you look at the zoning guide, you will find that you should budget for at least 55VA for this system... but you only have 40 VA transformers.  75 and 100 VA transformers can get VERY expensive!  Instead you can use two 40VA transformers, but not how you think.  It can be dangerous and unreliable to connect transformers in parallel to create ~80VA.  We recommend the method below that employs the use of a simple relay to separate half of the dampers to be powered from a second transformer and the other half being powered by the SmartZone and it's transformer.

See the SmartZone Install Guide to calculate required VA.

It is always necessary to verify that the PRIMARY side power is sufficient to power the transformer connected.  A dedicated PRIMARY circuit is best but not always possible.  If sharing the 110V or 220V circuit, make sure the total power required for all devices connected (including zoning transformers) doesn't exceed the capacity of the circuit (usually 15 or 20 AMPS).

There are many reasons that distributors should take a look at stocking SmartZone, but basically because they can make more money & have a higher customer satisfaction with a very low up-front investment.

Only 2 models needed to cover all applications. A lot of manufacturers require stocking 5,6... even dozens of different products to get the best price.  With SmartZone, you only need the SmartZone-2 and the SmartZone-4X.  That's right, only 2 models will cover everything from 2 zones to 20 zones, single & multi-stage, gas/electric & heat pump (including dual fuel).  As a bonus, the SmartZone-4X has built-in Fresh-Air control.  

Best wholesale pricing. Options for small and large volume distributors with 30 day NET terms pending credit approval.  Start with a small order or only 10 zone controllers.  Contact ECOJAY (www.smartzoning.com) for details.  

Documentation & training. Ecojay is committed to supporting distributors with documentation, signs, marketing materials, phone & online support.  Ecojay will even do an in-person training for contractors at new distributor locations (minimum order required for free training - normal price for training $500)  

Increase zone control profits & sales. SmartZone has allowed many of our distributors to increase sales of zoning because it is so much easier for contractors to use & install... they buy more.  Distributors of SmartZone also have increased margins on the higher-end controllers because SmartZone-4X can do everything the Honeywell HZ432 can do at a much lower price.  

Contractors will love you for it. Even contractors that "don't do zoning" occasionally come across a system that needs it or a customer that wants it.  SmartZone is the best the the occasional zoning contractor or the contractor that does it every day.  Most contractors that try it, don't want to use anything else.

Right now, only about 25-35% of the US has physical distribution of ECOJAY products, specifically SmartZone.  This is a HUGE missed opportunity.  Online distribution reaches nationwide, but even this is in it's infancy.  SmartZone deserves to be on the shelf of your local distributor and contractors deserve to have access to it.  Right now it is available on Amazon.com, Ebay, ZoningSupply.com for contractors in the US & Canada to have in a couple of days shipping time.

It would be great if some of the large online supply houses like ... Supplyhouse.com or AlpineAir.com would stock SmartZone so it could be purchased and shipped along with systems.  Or some of the national-chain distributors like Johnstone would also carry SmartZone for the sake of availability and exposure to SmartZone style zoning.

SmartZone is not a new gimmic in zoning, it is simply the BEST traditional forced-air zone control board that is available.  SmartZone has been designed with the HVAC contractor in mind and it shows with the feedback that is received over and over again from contractors.  SmartZone has been shipping since 2004 and has had rave reviews from the beginning.