Multizone Efficiency

The PMZ3 Efficiency Concept

Custom Mechanical Equipment builds custom-engineered multizone HVAC systems for today’s commercial buildings. The PMZ provides precise zone control, energy-efficient operation, and long-term serviceability in a factory-built solution tailored to your project.

Each penthouse holds multiple split systems with independent economizers, fans, cooling coils, and heating sections per zone. That gives each space dedicated temperature control without blended hot and cold air streams. Standard BACnet controls and conventional refrigerant circuits mean your service contractor can maintain the unit without a factory-only truck roll. CME stays on the job from spec to startup: submittals, fabrication, install oversight, and training on the roof.

The Modern Evolution of Multizone HVAC

CME PMZ3 units are designed to provide independent zone control, improved serviceability, and efficient comfort for commercial buildings. Each zone operates with its own dedicated system, helping reduce unnecessary energy use while giving building owners a simpler, more maintainable solution.

Traditional hot deck and cold deck multizone systems maintain separate heated and cooled air streams, then blend them to satisfy each zone. That approach often wastes energy by heating and cooling air at the same time. Unlike those legacy designs, the PMZ3 is built around independent operation and modern building control compatibility - dedicated zone temperature control without relying on mixed hot and cold air streams.

Where Multizone Efficiency Matters Most

PMZ3 units are built for one- to three-story commercial buildings that require independent zone control. Every PMZ3 is custom-configured to match your building’s layout, structural constraints, and equipment requirements.

Common applications include:

• K-12 schools and universities - classrooms, admin wings, and tech centers with different schedules and load profiles on the same roof
• Healthcare and clinics - exam rooms, labs, and support spaces that cannot tolerate long HVAC outages during retrofit
• Office and municipal buildings - multi-tenant floors where each zone needs its own setpoint without a full mechanical rip-out
• Retail and mixed-use - storefront zones, stockrooms, and common areas with different heating and cooling demand

Capacity ranges from 5 to 45 tons with 1 to 18 zones depending on unit configuration. Your Custom Mechanical Equipment sales rep confirms exact sizing for your application after a field visit.

Equipment and Configuration Options

Every project starts with the right equipment configuration for the building and climate. Available options include gas/DX, all electric, dual fuel, and hot water/chilled water. Any combination of these configurations is available for your project.

Structural options include curb riser and zone head extensions, duct connections for horizontal discharge, adjustable gas and condensate line locations, re-configurable door locations, and adjustable condenser locations.

Operational options include CO2 control by space or return, humidity control by space or return, bipolar ionization and UVC lights, supply air smoke detection, exhaust fans, condensation neutralization kits, high altitude and low ambient kits, and Title 24 compliant FDD economizers for California projects.

Standard on Every PMZ3

Efficiency is built into the equipment that ships from the Ponca City factory:

• BACnet-ready controls
• Factory-mounted disconnect
• Return air smoke detection
• Variable-speed blower motors
• Service lighting and GFCI outlet

Major components arrive pre-piped and pre-tested, which means less time on the roof tying in refrigerant and controls - and less downtime for buildings that cannot stay offline long.

Included With Every Project

Efficiency gains only hold when the unit is sized, installed, and commissioned correctly. Custom Mechanical Equipment stays on the job from spec to startup:

• Site visit before fabrication
• Custom unit configuration
• Installation oversight
• Startup assistance
• Owner training

A CME technician visits your site before manufacturing to take measurements and confirm requirements. That visit is how curb, duct, and access issues are caught before the unit ships - not after it is on the roof. Maintenance is performed inside the penthouse, out of the elements. Variable-speed blowers, BACnet controls, and conventional refrigerant circuits use standard commercial parts. Your service contractor can maintain the warranty without a factory-only truck roll.

Measured Results: Canyon High School

In Summer 2022, Canyon High School upgraded to CME PMZ multizone systems. Three years of utility data show improved zone-level control, no more simultaneous heating and cooling, and consumption trending down year over year. Post-retrofit utility data documented:

• 40.7% measured energy reduction
• $146,188 in annual energy cost savings
• 1,274,206 kWh less per year

Those results reflect what happens when independent zone control replaces a system that was blending heated and cooled air to reach setpoint. For engineers and facility owners evaluating a multizone retrofit, measured performance matters as much as rated equipment efficiency.

For a full overview of PMZ3 sizing, options, and project support, visit the Multizone HVAC product page.