Airzone Leads a Zoning Paradigm Shift for the A2L Refrigerant Era

Airzone Control, a leader in HVAC control and integration solutions, today announces a complete line of A2L-ready VRF zoning solutions for residential and light commercial applications. As VRF manufacturers complete the transition away from HFCs, specifiers face A2L charge limit constraints. Airzone’s solutions offer an alternative to traditional “one indoor unit per zone” VRF design, allowing projects to stay within regulation thresholds without compromising comfort or control.

Ducted Zoning Offers a Path Forward for VRF Zoning

A2L refrigerants are categorized as mildly flammable. As a result, specifiers and installers must navigate low charge limits. In zoned systems with small individual zones, staying below required thresholds can be very challenging.

Airzone offers multi-zone control solutions that make it significantly easier to spec and install a compliant design. By replacing multiple small units with a single ducted air handler, designers can control multiple zones with significantly less refrigerant.

How Multi-Zone Control Solves Small-Zone Refrigerant Concentration Challenges

In a ducted zoning system, a single VRF air handler is connected to multiple spaces via ductwork. Sensors or smart thermostats monitor the temperature setpoint, and motorized dampers regulate airflow to each zone in response.

Airzone zoning solutions allow a single ducted Inverter A2L unit to provide independent temperature control across multiple rooms, using one thermostat per zone. Communicating through the original HVAC manufacturers’ communication protocol, Airzone systems ensure full compatibility, simplified system design, lower operating costs, and streamlined management.

Airzone integrated zoning control solutions include:

• VAF: Modular Integrated Multi-zone Control (for ducted and ductless units) - an integrated zone control solution that adapts to any HVAC installation. VAF is compatible with individual, multi-sized motorized dampers to zone ducted units, as well as individual zone control modules for single-zone ducted/ ductless units, supplemental heating control modules, and zone thermostats—all managed from a single interface for precise, coordinated comfort.
• Easyzone: Plug & Play Motorized Zoning plenum (for ducted Inverter units) - an all-in-one zoning solution compatible with horizontal, vertical, and multi-position ducted units. This pre-wired and pre-insulated integrated zoning plenum simplifies setup, reduces the risk of installation errors, and helps prevent delays and unnecessary labor costs. Easyzone is available in configurations with three to six motorized dampers.

In the event of an A2L refrigerant leak, Airzone’s ducted zoning solutions open all dampers and release control of the VRF unit, allowing the manufacturer’s safety sequence to activate. There are no small zones: the open dampers combine the separate zones into a single larger releasable area.

By significantly reducing overall refrigerant charge and increasing the available room volume for dispersion, Airzone zoning solutions help engineers and specifiers design A2L-compliant installations that meet refrigerant concentration limits while maintaining high standards of comfort, safety, and energy efficiency.

The Benefits of Ducted Zoning

Instead of relying on 1:1 mini-split or cassette design, ducted zoning allows HVAC professionals to offer zoned temperature control using fewer, more discrete units. This approach aligns with consumer preferences for unobtrusive design, with indoor units tucked out of sight instead of intruding into living spaces. Ducted zoning designs are also mechanically simpler, with fewer shutoff valves than a 1:1 approach.

Both Easyzone and VAF are compatible with the Airzone Cloud app for easy remote control, diagnostics, and system automation. Because energy is only used to control the temperature in zones that need it, ducted zoning systems are dramatically more efficient, using up to 60 percent less energy than traditional solutions.

“It’s time for the industry to re-think VRF zoning design,” says Antonio Mediato, CEO of Airzone. “The era of 1:1 design, with one unit per zone, is over. Now, the refrigerant transition is pushing us to design smarter. Ducted zoning is not only safer, but more efficient and design-forward too.”

A2L-Ready Across the Airzone Portfolio

Airzone VAF and Easyzone multi-zone control solutions, along with the Aidoo Pro line of Inverter/VRF control gateways, are A2L-ready, with integration options for every leading VRF manufacturer, smart thermostat, home automation platform, and system design.