Zoning Your Heating System: How to Control Different Rooms Independently
Zoning Your Heating System: How to Control Different Rooms Independently
Not every room in your home needs to be heated to the same temperature at the same time.
Your living room may need to feel comfortable throughout the evening, while bedrooms can often be kept cooler. A home office might only need heating during working hours, while a spare room may be used occasionally.
This is where heating zones can make a real difference.
By dividing a heating system into separate zones, different rooms or areas of the property can be controlled independently rather than relying on one thermostat to manage the temperature of the entire home.
With the right thermostats, sensors and controls, zoning can help improve comfort while giving you much greater control over when and where your heating operates.
What Is Heating Zoning?
Heating zoning means dividing a property's heating system into individual areas that can be controlled separately.
A zone could be:
- A single room
- Several neighbouring rooms
- One floor of the property
- A group of bedrooms
- An open-plan living area
- A separate extension or home office
Each zone can then have its own temperature control, schedule or both, depending on how the heating system has been designed.
Instead of one central thermostat deciding whether every room receives heat, zoning allows the system to respond more closely to how different areas of the home are actually being used.
You can explore BPC Heat's range of heating controls for modern heating and renewable-energy systems.
Why Would You Want Different Heating Zones?
Different parts of a property can have very different heating requirements.
A south-facing room receiving plenty of sunlight may warm naturally during the day, while a north-facing room could require more heating.
Likewise, the way you use each room can vary throughout the day.
For example:
Living Areas
Living rooms and open-plan kitchen areas are often used most in the morning and evening, so they may benefit from temperatures and schedules designed around those periods.
Bedrooms
Bedrooms are generally used differently from living spaces and may not need to be maintained at the same temperature throughout the day.
Home Offices
If you work from home, there may be little reason to heat the rest of the property to the same level while you are working in one room.
Spare Rooms
Occasionally used spaces can often be maintained differently from frequently occupied areas.
Upstairs and Downstairs
Properties can also be divided into larger zones, such as upstairs and downstairs, where each floor has separate time and temperature control.
The Energy Saving Trust explains that programmable room thermostats can set different temperatures at different times of day and notes that some heating systems use separate programmable thermostats for upstairs and downstairs. You can read its independent guidance on thermostats and heating controls.
How Does a Zoned Heating System Work?
The exact arrangement depends on the type of heating system being used, but zoning generally involves three main elements:
- Thermostats or room controls to set the required temperature
- Sensors to measure current conditions
- Heating controls or actuators that determine when heat is supplied to each zone
The thermostat or sensor monitors the temperature of a particular area.
If that zone requires heat, the control system can then respond according to the way the heating installation has been configured.
If you'd like a more detailed explanation of the different components, read our guide to thermostats, controls and sensors and the differences between them.
Zoning With Underfloor Heating
Water underfloor heating is particularly well suited to zoned temperature control.
A typical wet underfloor heating system is divided into individual pipe circuits connected to a manifold.
Depending on the system design, one room may have one circuit while larger areas can require several.
Thermostats can then be assigned to individual rooms or zones. When a zone requires heat, the control system operates the relevant actuator or actuators on the manifold, allowing heated water to circulate through the required circuits.
This means you could potentially have:
- 21°C in the living room
- 19°C in the bedroom
- 20°C in a home office
- A reduced setting in an unused spare room
The exact temperatures are a matter of preference and system design, but the important point is that each area doesn't necessarily need to follow one whole-house setting.
What Components Are Used for Underfloor Heating Zones?
A zoned underfloor heating system can include several components working together.
Room Thermostats
The thermostat allows you to set the desired temperature for an individual room or zone.
Depending on the model, thermostats may provide:
- Simple temperature adjustment
- Programmable schedules
- Touchscreen control
- Wireless communication
- Smart/app connectivity
Wiring Centre
The wiring centre coordinates communication between the thermostats and the other components of the underfloor heating system.
Manifold Actuators
Actuators are installed on the underfloor heating manifold and control water flow to individual circuits.
When a room thermostat calls for heat, the relevant actuator can open to allow warm water through that zone.
Temperature Sensors
Some installations also use additional room or floor sensors to provide more accurate control or protect particular floor finishes from excessive temperatures.
Together, these components allow the underfloor heating system to respond independently to different areas of the property.
Can You Zone a Heat Pump Heating System?
Yes, heating systems using an air source heat pump can incorporate zoning, but the controls need to be considered as part of the complete system design.
Heat pumps generally perform best when producing lower-temperature heat steadily rather than repeatedly switching on and off for short periods.
This is especially important when a heat pump is paired with water underfloor heating, where the large heated floor area is designed to provide gradual, consistent warmth.
That doesn't mean every room has to operate at exactly the same temperature.
It means that the zoning strategy, heat pump controls, water flow rates and heat emitters should all be designed to work together.
For example, a properly designed system may allow bedrooms and living areas to have different temperature settings without constantly shutting down large sections of the heating system.
The objective is to achieve useful temperature control without compromising the efficient operation of the heat pump.
Room-by-Room Zoning vs Larger Heating Zones
More zones aren't automatically better.
There are generally two approaches to heating zoning.
Room-by-Room Control
Each room or small group of rooms has its own thermostat.
This provides a high level of individual control and is commonly associated with systems such as zoned underfloor heating.
Larger Zones
Several rooms with similar heating requirements may operate together.
For example:
- Upstairs bedrooms
- Downstairs living areas
- An open-plan kitchen and dining space
This can provide useful control without unnecessarily making the system more complicated.
The best solution depends on the property layout, heating technology and how the occupants use the home.
Do Heating Zones Save Energy?
Zoning can help reduce unnecessary heating because it gives you greater control over where and when heat is required.
For example, there may be little benefit in maintaining a rarely used spare room at the same temperature as a busy living area throughout the day.
Similarly, heating schedules can reduce demand in certain areas when they are normally unoccupied.
Energy Saving Trust recommends using heating controls effectively so that homes are heated when required without unnecessarily overheating rooms. It also notes that thermostats, programmers and radiator controls can help households manage heating demand.
However, the actual energy savings will vary considerably according to:
- Property construction
- Insulation levels
- Heating system
- Heat source
- Control strategy
- Occupancy patterns
- Desired indoor temperatures
A heating system still needs to be correctly designed and commissioned for zoning to work effectively.
Where Should Room Thermostats Be Positioned?
Even a sophisticated zoned heating system can perform poorly if its thermostats or sensors are positioned incorrectly.
A room thermostat needs to measure conditions representative of the space it controls.
As a general principle, it shouldn't be positioned where the reading can be heavily influenced by local heat or cold.
Potential problem locations include:
- Direct sunlight
- Beside an external door
- Directly above a radiator
- Close to another heat source
- Behind curtains
- Behind large pieces of furniture
- Areas with unusual draughts
The manufacturer's installation guidance should always be followed when selecting thermostat and sensor positions.
Plan Heating Zones Early
If you're building a new home or undertaking a major renovation, zoning is best considered during the design stage.
Decisions about room control can affect:
- Underfloor heating circuit layouts
- Manifold positions
- Number of thermostats
- Wiring requirements
- Actuator quantities
- Heat pump controls
- Zone valves
- Sensor positions
Planning these elements early can make the finished heating system much easier to control and helps ensure the zoning strategy works with the rest of the heating system.
If you're still at the planning stage, BPC Heat can also help with our Free Heating Design Service. Send us your project plans and requirements, and our team can help design a suitable heating solution, including system layout, zoning requirements and the components needed for the property.
This allows the heating design to reflect how the property will actually be used, rather than simply dividing the system into arbitrary areas during installation.
Choosing the Right Heating Controls
The correct controls depend on the heating system they're being paired with.
When selecting equipment, consider:
- Heat source
- Underfloor heating or radiator configuration
- Number of required zones
- Wired or wireless controls
- Smart-control requirements
- Room and floor sensors
- Compatibility with the heating system
- Required schedules
- Future expansion
You can browse the BPC Heat range of heating controls here.
