GO for 2. CHeck Consumer Reports. Zoned systems for HVAC are
complicated. I assume you are talking forced air system. Also it
will always be working suboptimally instead of 2 separate systems each
hopefully optimized.


"John" wrote in message
...
Hello group...
Hoping to get some insight to make a good decision...We are shopping
for a
new home here in Austin TX, and have come to the conclusion the home
will be
a two story, probably between 2600-3100 sq foot ...Some builders
offer two
seperate systems, one for up and one for down, and some offer a
single
"zoned" system..I think they are all using 12seer units..I don't
know which
way is better, as I have never had a two story home or a two unit
home...It
would seem to me the single zoned one has benefits of only being one
machine
to maintain, but also will get more use...Now, the upstairs of the
home will
not see much use..It will primarily be used for guest visits which
don't
happen all that often so that area will be set higher most of the
time (or
lower in the case of heat) I am guessing the single "zoned" unit
would be
of a larger size than the two seperate ones, would that affect the
monthly
cost? Also I asked if the unit can be upgraded to a higher seer and
they
said they can but it really is not necessary due to the home
construction,
as anything above a 12 jumps way up in cost...
Any thoughts on this would be very appriciated...Thanks! John