Heating question...I'm paying for heat

[Robert Granara]

I have a 3 family that I pay the heat...it's 3 stories and each floor is it's own apartment...we call them 3 deckers here in Boston...I just bought the house 2 months ago and now it's heat season...looking for suggestions as to which floor I should put the thermostat in...I'm debating on either the 2nd or 1st...I have had conflicting advice by 2 contractors...anyone here have this issue?..to be clear it's FHA oil fired system...thanks

[Jon Holdman]

Oil fired hot water or forced hot air? Is installing electric baseboard heat with separate thermostats an option? Or putting in separate control valves and giving each a thermostat? No matter where you put you have two unhappy or wasteful tenants. Higher floors will tend to be warmer and lower floors cooler. Assuming the tenants all like it the same temp, if its on the first floor, the top and middle are hot and those tenants leave their windows open. If its in the middle, the bottom guy gripes until the middle guy turns up the heat. And the middle and top ones still leave the windows open. I think you're doomed to excessive heating bills no matter where you put it.