FALL AND WINTER HEATING
Dear Residents,
Over the past three winters, our heating bills have skyrocketed, due in part to inflation and rising gas prices, but also in large part due to our heating inefficiency. For example, for the month of December 2022 alone, our ConEd bill rose to $11,500, $9,500 of which was attributed to heating and $2,000 for electricity. In January of 2024, our heat cost $10,300, $9,500 of which was attributed to heating and $800 for electricity. By comparison, our summer ConEd bills range between $1,000 and $2,000 at most while the heat is shut off. Our heating inefficiencies were so significant during the winter of 2022 that we needed to receive a second shipment of gas, which is not billed at our locked-in rate and resulted in additional expenses. These heating costs are absolutely crippling to our budget and need to be addressed to prevent avoidable increases to our HOA fees in the future.
There are a number of ways that we can take steps as a community to lessen these costs:
Addressing Issues With Heat Control: We are aware that a number of units are unable to control the heat in their units using their thermostats. Many of these issues were resolved during the Fall and Winter of 2022-2023, but if this issue continues to effect your unit, please let the board know immediately. We will send Enisa to inspect your baseboard heaters and thermostat in order to try and address the issue. If a heating specialist needs to be called in to do work, the Board and CDT have several recommendations that we can provide to you. There are also shutoff valves located on each of the baseboard heaters that can be utilized to manually stop/start the heat flow until the issue is addressed. If you need assistance locating your shutoff valves, please let us know.
Keeping Doors and Windows Closed: Under no circumstances should doors and windows be left open to ventilate excess heat. This causes your heating units to work overtime as heat escapes your unit, resulting in increased heating costs for the entire building. Please keep in mind that heat inefficiencies in one unit also negatively effects your 32 neighbors.
Installing Smart/Learning Thermostats: Smart thermostats are an excellent way to lower heating costs in the fall and winter. They can be programmed to keep your unit at certain temperatures at different parts of the day, and can also be programmed to keep your unit at a lower temperature if you are away at work, on vacation, or residing elsewhere for a season. Some thermostats even allow you to monitor and adjust the temperature of your unit from your computer or smartphone.
ConEd is currently running a HUGE promotion for residents utilizing smart thermostats. If you already have an eligible smart thermostat, you may enroll it in the Smart Usage Rewards for an $85 rebate on your next bill: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE REBATE
The ConEd Marketplace offers both the Nest Thermostat and the Nest Learning Thermostat at SIGNIFICANT DISCOUNTS: The Nest Thermostat is marked down from $129.99 to $49.99, and the Nest Learning Thermostat is marked down from $249.99 to $149.99: CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE NEST THERMOSTAT IN THE CONED MARKETPLACE. These thermostats are relatively simple to install and the Board is happy to assist you with installation if need be. In addition to helping us lower our community heating bills, a smart thermostat will likely help to lower your personal electric bill for the fall and winter.
NOTE: Not all smart thermostats are compatible with baseboard heating systems. Please double check and make sure that you are selecting a compatible smart thermostat before completing your purchase.
Once again, if your unit is experiencing issues with overheating, please let the Board know immediately so that it can be addressed and we can lessen the impact on our fall and winter heating costs.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you for your cooperation.
Kind Regards,
The Board of Managers