Airzone zoning
Airzone zoning: a different temperature in every room, from one ducted system
Airzone zoning adds a motorised damper and a thermostat for each room to a ducted heat-and-cool system. The bedroom can be cool while the living room stays warm, and rooms nobody is using can be switched off. Apex installs and sets up Airzone across Dartford, Kent and London.
How it works
How does Airzone zoning work?
Without zoning, a ducted system treats the whole house as one room. It heats or cools every room to one setting, read from one controller. Airzone splits it up.
- A thermostat in each room reads the temperature and holds the setting you choose.
- The Airzone main board collects what each room wants.
- Motorised dampers, in the plenum or in each duct, open for rooms that need air and close for rooms that do not.
- An interface to the unit tells the ducted unit how many zones are open, so it turns its fan and output up or down to match.
Why the last step matters
If dampers close but the unit keeps blowing at full speed, all that air is forced into the few open rooms. Grilles whistle and the unit can struggle. Linking Airzone to the unit itself lets the system slow down when only one or two rooms are calling.
That is also why zone sizes matter. We plan which rooms share a zone and how the air is balanced, so a small bedroom on its own is never blasted with air meant for the whole floor.
On one Panasonic 7kW ducted job we fitted an Airzone three-way plenum with Blueface controllers and Airzone Wi-Fi, so each room's airflow and temperature can be set on its own, from the wall or a phone, and the system can link to a building management system.
Is it right for you?
Who Airzone zoning is for
- Ducted systems in homes where people like different temperatures in different rooms.
- Bedrooms and living space on one system, set for night and day.
- Offices and small commercial buildings with rooms used at different times.
- Buildings with a BMS, where Airzone can link to the building management system.
What you get
- A thermostat and a set temperature in every room.
- Switch off rooms nobody is using.
- App and voice control, with schedules for each zone.
- Works with most makes of ducted unit.
Where it does not fit
- It is for ducted systems. Wall units already have their own control in each room.
- Each zone needs its own duct, so some older layouts need duct changes first.
About Airzone
What is in an Airzone zoning system?
Airzone is a Spanish company that makes control systems for heating and cooling, used with inverter, VRF, chilled water and boiler systems. Apex installs and maintains Airzone on the ducted systems we fit.
Dampers and plenum
Motorised dampers, in a purpose-made plenum or fitted to each duct, so each room gets the air it needs and no more.
Thermostats
Blueface is the colour touchscreen, often in the main room. Simpler Think and Lite thermostats go in the other rooms, wired or wireless.
App and voice
The Airzone Cloud app sets temperatures and schedules for each zone from anywhere. It also works with voice assistants and building management systems.
For cleaner air, Easyzone IAQ plenums monitor the air and clean it as it passes through, before it reaches the rooms.
Makes
Airzone for Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Panasonic
Airzone makes interfaces for most major makes of ducted unit, including the three we fit most: Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Panasonic. The interface lets Airzone read the unit and adjust it, rather than just switching it on and off.
Compatibility depends on the exact indoor unit model, so we check yours before we quote. If your unit is too old to link up, we tell you honestly whether zoning is still worth doing or whether the unit is due for replacement.
Existing systems
Adding zoning to a ducted system you already have
If one room is always too hot and another too cold, zoning is often the fix. At the survey we check:
- The indoor unit model and whether an Airzone interface suits it.
- The duct layout: each zone needs its own duct or group of ducts.
- Space at the plenum, or room to fit dampers in the ducts.
- A route for thermostat cables, or whether wireless thermostats are better.
Already have zoning that is not working? Our air conditioning repairs cover stuck dampers, dead thermostats and app problems.
Cost
What affects the cost of Airzone zoning?
- The number of zones, and whether dampers go in a plenum or in each duct.
- The thermostats you choose: touchscreen, simple, wired or wireless.
- Wi-Fi and app control, and any link to a building management system.
- Changes to existing ductwork, if rooms share a duct today.
On a new ducted system, zoning is part of the design, so we price it together. Read our air conditioning cost guide for published UK ranges.
Compare
Zoned ducted or separate wall units?
Separate wall units give every room its own control for less money, but each one is on show. A zoned ducted system gives the same room-by-room control with nothing on the walls, at a higher cost and with more building work. Some homes mix the two. On a house in Darenth we fitted a zoned ducted system for the main rooms plus a 3.5kW wall unit.
Tell us your ducted unit's make and model if you have one.
Real Apex jobs
Ducted and zoned jobs
Compare
Other types of system
Wall-mounted systems
The most popular choice for bedrooms and living rooms.
Find out moreFloor-mounted systems
Low on the wall, ideal for lofts and replacing radiators.
Find out moreCeiling cassettes
Even airflow for offices, shops and open-plan rooms.
Find out moreDucted systems
Hidden in the ceiling, only the grilles show.
Find out moreBrands we fit
Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Panasonic.
Find out moreQuestions
Airzone questions
What does Airzone actually do?
It turns one ducted system into several zones. A motorised damper on each duct opens and closes to give each room the air it needs, and a thermostat in each room tells the system what that room wants. You can set each room's temperature, or switch rooms off, from the wall or your phone.
Can Airzone be added to an existing ducted system?
Often, yes. Airzone works with most makes of ducted unit, including Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Panasonic. We check that your unit can talk to an Airzone interface, that each room has its own duct, and that there is space at the plenum for the dampers. Then we quote for the parts and wiring.
How many zones can I have?
Usually one zone per room or per group of rooms that are used together. Most homes end up with two to six zones. The limit depends on the plenum or dampers, the size of the ducted unit and the duct layout. A very small room on its own zone can be noisy if the unit is large, so we plan zone sizes carefully.
Does zoning save energy?
It can, because you only heat or cool the rooms you are using, and the system lowers the unit's output to match the open zones. Bedrooms can be off in the day and the living room off at night. How much you save depends on the house and how you use it, so we do not promise a figure.
Can Airzone control wall units?
Not as zoning, because each wall unit already controls its own room. Airzone does make Aidoo, a small Wi-Fi controller that lets you run a single unit from the Airzone app. For several rooms with nothing on the walls, a ducted system with Airzone zoning is the usual answer.
What is Easyzone IAQ?
It is an Airzone plenum that brings zoning, air purification and Wi-Fi control together for ducted systems in homes and small commercial buildings. It monitors air quality and cleans the air as it passes through, cutting dust and particles before the air reaches the rooms.
Get a quote for Airzone zoning
Talk to Olly directly. He quotes and fits the jobs himself.
Quickest way to a price: send on WhatsApp
- A photo of the room and the outside wall
- Your town and what you need
- For a repair, the unit's label and any error code
Free survey and a fixed written quote for new systems. No obligation.