What is zoning oil boilers?

Zoning a heating system involves splitting your home into different areas which can be independently controlled. Heating your whole house at once is like controlling all your lights from one switch so zoning allows you to heat specific areas to the desired temperatures within your home only when you use them, which can save you money on your fuel bills.

In summary, zoning allows you to divide your home into separate areas each of which will have their own thermostat to be controlled independently to other zones or rooms. So you can choose to heat areas depending on when and where you spend time in your home and at what temperatures. For example, you could heat your living rooms during the day and only heat the bedrooms in the evening. As a result, you can reduce your fuel consumption by not heating the rooms you use less often.

How do I know if my heating system is zoned?

If you have the ability to set different temperatures in different rooms in your home via your heating controls, this would indicate that your system has got more than one zone. If you are unable to set different temperatures in separate rooms, instead just having one temperature setting for all the rooms in your home, this would indicate that your system is not zoned. If you are unsure, please speak to your installer or heating engineer.

How many zones is recommended?

In the average home, two zones will typically be created with one zone downstairs (controlled by one room thermostat suitably located downstairs) and a second zone upstairs (which is controlled by a separate room thermostat suitably fitted upstairs). Every home is different, however, and the layout of the rooms in your home will have influenced how many zones were suitable for your property. For example, if you have an open plan living area downstairs, this will likely be one zone in your heating system or if your room sizes are large, it may have been appropriate to zone one or more of these areas.

While there are many benefits to zoning an oil-fired boiler heating system and the tailored comfort it can facilitate in different areas of your home, it is important to note that system design is crucial to the success of zoning. With an incorrectly designed system, by running an oil boiler on part load, there is a risk of short cycling and this will ultimately increase fuel consumption, not reduce it. What this means is if the boiler is regularly being asked to switch on and off as a result of different temperature demands from each zone, this can cause the boiler to repeatedly fire up and shut down which is not efficient and can cause damage to the boiler’s components. Therefore, it is important that not too many zones are created and that each one is correctly set up to not conflict with one another.

Can my system be split into zones retrospectively?

If your oil-fired boiler has been installed for a while, it may be possible to zone your system retrospectively with the installation of additional thermostats, wiring and controls. Please speak to your installer to discuss this further.

Learn more about correctly using room thermostats with your oil boiler here.

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