2024 Dealer Design Awards: Residential Controls

GOODBYPASS: The ZCDWLB eliminates bypass and cuts installation and material costs in half. (Courtesy of EControls)

The Gold award in the Residential Controls category goes to EControls’ ZCDWLB 2-Zone Wireless Automatic Comfort Control.

“The ZCDWLB is a 2-Zone Wireless Comfort Control for aftermarket for two-story homes that automatically controls the distribution of heating and cooling to provide a balanced, uniformly comfortable home,” said Mike Beck, president of EControls.

The ZCDWLB 2-Zone Comfort Control solves a common comfort problem homeowners bring to their HVAC contractors: In the summer, the upstairs gets too hot and needs more cooling, and in the winter, the downstairs is too cold and needs more heating.

The ZCDWLB is ideal for existing two-story homes, and can also be used in two and three-story townhomes and condos, single-story homes with uneven heating and cooling, and light commercial two-zone applications where uneven heating and cooling causes discomfort.

“For new construction, where the home is already built and the builder is now getting complaints about comfort, the ZCDWLB is an ideal ‘fix’ and solves the comfort problem without damaging finished walls,” Beck said.

The design of the 2-Zone Wireless Comfort Control began as a solution to eliminate bypass.

“California had just ruled that bypass was not allowed back to the return in zoning,” Beck said.

“Installing, setting, and calibrating a bypass damper is very labor-intensive, and using a pressure-sensing damper is very expensive,” said Beck. “The ZCDWLB eliminates bypass, thus saving the technician a considerable amount of labor and material cost.”

To be exact, this system cuts both material costs and install time in half.

“The ZCDWLB wireless 2-Zone Control, wireless sensor, and wireless damper control come prelinked and eliminate all wiring in the living space of the home, significantly reducing installation time and labor costs,” Beck said.

The ZCDWLB is simple to operate and requires minimal homeowner training or technical support. Its install consists of installing the wireless digital ZCDWLB 2-Zone Control in the downstairs zone, installing a wireless temperature sensor in the upstairs zone, installing a wireless damper control near the equipment, and installing two modulating plug-and-play dampers in the trunks feeding the upstairs and downstairs zone. If needed, additional plug-and-play dampers could be installed to define a zone.

“The ZCDWLB 2-Zone Control monitors the equipment for heating and cooling calls and monitors the downstairs temperature at its location and the upstairs temperature at the sensor,” Beck said. “If the upstairs and downstairs temperatures differ by two degrees or more, the ZCDWLB automatically distributes 2% more heating or cooling to the zone that needs it every two minutes.”

EControls looks to have wide availability of the product through its HVAC wholesalers.

MANAGE: The DAPC is Ideal for systems where space for a bypass is limited. (Courtesy of EWC Controls)

EWC Controls earned the Silver award in the Residential Controls category for the DAPC (Distributed Air Pressure Controller), applied when a bypass cannot be used to manage static pressure in a forced air zoning application.

The DAPC monitors a zoned HVAC system’s static pressure, and the zone dampers “Open” and “Closed” commands from the installed zone panel. The DAPC will then modulate zone dampers, allowing excess air to flow into larger non-calling zones to control operating static pressure. For the installer’s convenience, the balancing of static pressure into non-calling zones or through the system is adjustable. The DAP simulates the functions of a traditional bypass damper without the need to cycle conditioned air back into the return duct. The DAPC is compatible with EWC Controls’ variety of zone boards, and will only work with genuine EWC zone dampers. Ultra-zone dampers are wired from the ductwork to the DAPC and from the DAPC to the zone panel. The DAPC comes with everything necessary for a complete plug-and-play installation of a no-bypass zoning system: two pitot plenum probes, one for the supply and return, plus 16 feet of pitot tubing.

The DAPC can control up to three zones with a capacity of 20 dampers from a zone board having its own dedicated power supply. The DAPC will receive a call from the zone control panel and send a signal to the corresponding zone damper. As zone dampers are closing, static pressure will start to fluctuate. Once static pressure goes above or below the DAPC set point, non-calling zones will start to modulate open or closed to maintain operating static pressure. The DAPC onboard LEDs provide damper status and damper movement. The LCD screen provides constant feedback on static pressure and allows installers trouble-free viewing throughout programming and operation.

4-ZONED: The ZP4-ESP-FAV is a four-zone panel that combines ESP zoning with fresh air ventilation. (Courtesy of IO HVAC Controls)

Bringing home the Bronze award in the Residential Controls category is iO HVAC Controls for its ZP4-ESP-FAV, a four-zone panel that combines Electric Static Pressure (ESP) zoning with fresh air ventilation for heating and cool, heat pump, or dual fuel systems.

ESP zoning eliminates the need for a bypass — reducing installation time and cost of a zone system — by monitoring system static pressure and modulating open non-calling zones the right amount to control pressure levels. The ZP4-ESP-FAV panel receives temperature sensor inputs to display supply, return, and outside air temperature, as well as control high/low limits and balance points. The panel can control desired fresh air intake with either a ventilation timer or CO₂ sensor input, and is also ASHRAE 62.2 compliant. The ZP4-ESP-FAV has iO HVAC Controls capacity control technology, which prevents upstaging until a specified number of zones are calling. Other notable features include a dehumidification input, a configurable upstage timer, and night stat terminals for occupancy scheduling.

The ZP4-ESP-FAV is meant for application in buildings that must follow fresh air ventilation regulations. It combines any FAV control with the zone system, reducing the number of panels for a cheaper, cleaner, and easier installation. To make this board a more universal product, most features can be turned on/off.