Home Improvement Tips

Smart Phones on the HVAC Job

At ZONEFIRST Zone Controls we try our hardest to make installing zoning easy and simple. We’ve come up with EZ-Wire control panels and Plug-In-Play zoning systems which cut installation time in half!

But what happens when you are servicing a call that you didn’t install? Sometimes the homeowner or contractor throws away the installation and operating instructions. Now you must call in for tech support. And lets be honest, most of the time you are in an attic or basement where you don’t get good cell phone service, making the call a hassle and most likely has you going up and down stairs. This sparked an idea at ZONEFIRST.

Now, when you are on a job site and need operating or installation instructions for a zone control panel, zone damper, or any zoning accessory, you can now get it at your fingertips! WHAT!?

Yes, at your fingertips. Every single one of ZONEFIRST’s products now comes with a QR code printed on the label. So if you have a smart phone, all you have to do is scan it and it will automatically bring you to an online pdf file containing everything you need to know about that specific product! How cool is that?

Try it out for yourself….

What you need:

– A Smart Phone
– A QR Reader App installed on your smart phone (search “qr code” on the app store)

Let’s Try it!

Below is a QR code that is located on the wiring diagram of our MMP3 Control Panel. Just launch your QR reader app. on your smart phone and scan it. Then see what happens….

ZoneFirst

April 26, 2013

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Welcome to 2013, where “wireless” technology and smart devices rule the world.

Today, almost everything is controlled from your phone or tablet, including the comfort of your home. We are seeing more and more companies produce wireless, communicating, smart thermostats that allow you to control the temperature of your home from anywhere!

This is the same mindset and technology innovation that ZONEFIRST had back in the 1950’s when we invented zoning for forced air systems.

Take a thermostat such as the new NEST. Well, we did. We bought 3 of them and tested them with our control boards. Turns out, these “smart” thermostats are compatible with our panels. What does this mean? The complete home comfort solution!

By adding a wireless communicating thermostat to your home, it allows you to control your ENTIRE home. But, when you add zoning into the mix, you can control certain areas of your home from anywhere.

Let us paint a picture. You are on your way home from work, it’s hot and you don’t want to walk into a warm house. You take out your phone and set the temperature for 67 degrees. Your thermostat picks up the call and brings on your AC. Now your entire home will be nice and cool for your arrival. But, what is the benefit to adding zoning?

Let us paint another picture. You are on your way home from work, it’s hot and you don’t want to walk into a warm house. You take out your phone and set the temperature for 67 degrees on zone 1 (which is your downstairs). Your thermostat picks up the call and brings on your AC. Now your downstairs will be nice and cool for your arrival. By adding zoning to the mix, you can pinpoint what zones you want to cool because the panel will shut automatic dampers to the zones not calling for AC. This way you are not wasting energy cooling down rooms that you wont be occupying when you get home (like your bedroom for example). This mix of technology allows for extreme comfort, convenience and energy savings!

Take it form us, be a home comfort professional, not just another “HVAC Guy”

ZoneFirst

April 12, 2013

Air Conditioning, Comfort, Energy Savings, Green Remodeling, Home Improvement Tips, HVAC, Temperature Control, Wireless Comfort

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Our engineers at ZONEFIRST have been working hard to make installing zoning easier than ever before! We understand that time is money and we want to help. We came up with a series of control panels that on average takes half the time to install than our competitor’s systems. How?

Today, all of ZONEFIRST’s Zone Control Panels have EZ-Wiring. What is EZ Wiring?

PUSH-IN TERMINAL BLOCKS (no screwdriver required, just push in and it locks itself, equipped with release button)
COLOR-CODED (color-coded terminals to match up easily with both thermostat & equipment wire)
LED TROUBLESHOOTING (each zone control panel is equipped with LED’s that indicate system status & damper positions)
PLUG-IN (our Plug-In-Play zoning systems use modular cord to connect and power all the dampers)
MODULAR CORD (rj11 phone jacks, 25′ supplied with every damper, daisy chain up to 10 dampers per zone)
TEST BUTTONS (Plug-In-Play zone control panels are equipped with test buttons which allow you to test every damper connected)

Learn more about each of ZONEFIRST’s Control Panels

ZoneFirst

February 18, 2013

Air Conditioning, Comfort, Energy Savings, Heating, Home Improvement Tips, HVAC, Temperature Control

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More and more people are finding out about HVAC Zoning and are putting it on existing systems in both their homes and offices. Zoning allows you to precisely control the temperature in different areas of the home or office. It adds comfort, convenience and on average, can save up to 30% on your energy bill. It can be added to any forced air system.

Most people do not know just how easy it is to install zoning in their homes. Below is what you need to add HVAC Zoning to your home:

1. Zone Control Panel: The Zone Control Panel is the central control that will communicate between thermostats, dampers and your HVAC equipment. It is mounted by your equipment and is the brains of the entire zoning application.

2. Thermostats: Thermostats read the air temperature in each room (or zone) of your house. If the temperature is too cold or too hot for your liking, the thermostat will send a signal to the control panel to either bring on cool or warm air to that room or zone.

3. Zone Dampers: Dampers are placed in your ducts to control the airflow to certain rooms (or zones) of your home. The dampers are wired to a specific zone on the control panel, which is controlled by a specific thermostat in your home. Dampers automatically open and close depending on which thermostats are calling.

4. By-pass Damper: A by-pass damper is used to relieve air pressure in your duct work as certain zones close. However, a by-pass is not always needed.

*Depending on how many zones will be installed will dictate the amount of thermostats and dampers used. Every house will vary in regards to this.

Ask your HVAC contractor about zoning today and start enjoying the benefits of a more comfortable home!

ZoneFirst

February 04, 2013

Air Conditioning, Comfort, Energy Savings, Green Remodeling, Heating, Home Improvement Tips, Temperature Control

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After sitting in on a handful of meetings and presentations about social media marketing, I came to the conclusion that it does not stray too far from traditional marketing and sales.

The only thing that changed is technology and the way people do business these days. More baby boomers are finally taking interest in social media that my generation (y) grew up on. Not only are they taking interest but they are using it.

As I mentioned, I attended many seminars and meetings in Dallas, Chicago and New Jersey the past few weeks on social media marketing and the one thing they all had in common were pain. Yes, pain! Each one of the presenters mentioned the strategy of introducing pain to your target market in order to spark interest in your products or services. This works in face to face sales as well.

It seems that the more you pitch a pain problem in your sales, the more the audience can relate to what you’re selling. Pitch pain and then hit them with the solution!

For example, selling HVAC Zoning:
“Are some areas in your home uncomfortable, too hot or too cold? Does your upstairs stay warm while the downstairs is freezing?” – The key here is to get them to say “yes!” After they agree with your pain pitch, hit them with how zoning can fix their problems. Adding in the fact that it can save up to 30% on their energy bill can help you close the sale.

With zoning, you want to relate to their uncomfortable hot or cold home and then introduce them to your solution. Always hit them with comfort first, not convenience or energy savings, those two are a bonus to you closing.

In all, the steps look like this:

Introduce your pain pitch that they can relate to.
Get them to say “YES!” The more they agree with you, the better your chances are of closing.
Introduce a solution to fix their problem. In the case of an uncomfortable home, ZONING!
Close the sale by throwing in the facts: zoning can save up to 30% on your energy bill and it allows you to put a thermostat in every room or (zone) of your home = convenience.

ZoneFirst

January 17, 2013

Home Improvement Tips, HVAC, HVAC Sales Tips

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Smart Phones on the HVAC Job

What you need:

Let’s Try it!

Home Comfort Technology

HVAC Zone Controls Made Easy

What You Need to Zone an Existing HVAC System

Using Pain to Sell HVAC Zoning

Install Guides & Troubleshooting Documentation.

How-to videos and product training tutorials.

Still can’t find the answers you're looking for? You can contact us directly.