Will programmable thermostats deter renters?

Question

My wife and I recently purchased a three-flat in Berwyn and are house hacking for at least the next year. The property has a single furnace, so we cover gas and heat for all three units (which can get pricey in Chicago winters). I installed programmable thermostats from Chicago Controls which have a maximum heat setting of 71 degrees and revert back to 68 degrees every three hours.

Some friends of ours think that tenants will be unhappy about not being able to set the temperature to their liking. We think it's the best way to minimize expenses and maintain an energy efficient building.

Has anyone had issues with tenants being upset about the lack of control?

Marcus Auerbach · Answer

@Colin Olsen my goal was to be thought provoking. You mention safe and comfortable, and there is nothing wrong with that, but you could add desireable. One pattern I have noticed is that your tenants will always match your property.

Over the years we have moved more and more away from just basic and towards desirable, rents have gone up, turnover has gone down. And often it's little things like a dimmer switch instead of a regular light switch in the living room etc. Just food for thought.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

Tenants may not like it, but if you are clear about it up front before they move in, they won't have any room to complain. As Theresa stated, you can expect they will attempt to regulate the temperature other ways, which means it may end up costing you more than if you had let them have control of the thermostat. If it were me, I would open your range to 60 - 75 to give them a little more control without the ability to really crank it.

John Warren · Answer

@Colin Olsen so there is probably a simpler way to do this. I have had multiple boilers in Berwyn and Cicero where each unit had either a zone valve or a circulation pump that is controlled in each apartment by a thermostat. You can limit the amount of heat to each unit there to maybe 75 or so. The issue with providing heat only to 70 or so is that a lot of tenants will be cold and you will get no heat calls all the time. At around 75 I have found you don't get no heat calls and everyone is happy. The difference in your heat bill will be negligible.

The other thing to check is if you have an outdoor reset on the boiler or anything like that to power it down when you have sudden upticks in temperature outside. I recently checked a boiler in Bellwood on a warm day and it was absolutely cranking heat! The outdoor reset existed but the previous owners didn't program it. We reprogrammed it and now it will power the boiler down on really hot days.

Theresa Harris · Answer

If they get too hot, they will start opening windows.  If they are too cold, they may get space heaters.

Jim Fichera · Answer

I have a similar issue in a three family I Own but I'm not quite as generous as you on the upper end of the heat range. We have the thermostats set at 68 degrees.We have not had a complaint so far. That being said I've only had the property 3 years and in southern New Hampshire we have a severe rental housing shortage and nice apartments are not easy to find.

Scott Mac · Answer

Well it looks like unless you want to spring for 2 more furnaces and some ducting changes this solution is moving in the correct direction.

It's seems workable, but when you close off an old house into apartment units you have to consider the return air ducting to prevent hot spots and cold spots.

Each unit should have a return air duct, and if little Billy in 1A is painting his model car with Testors model paint, and Susan in 2B is cooking delicious garlic bread and spaghetti dinner, the smell of both may be detectable in each others units--due to common air returns to one furnace. Even if both units have their own air return.

As far as the temperature ranges, it might be best to explain to the renter before they sign how this works and why, and if you find them really complaining about the overall temp inside the units being too cold, MAYBE adjust it.

But if they are complaining 1A is too cold and 2B is too hot, it may be the return air ducts are not efficiently sized to handle the air pumped into the units.

Would splitting into three furnaces add value to the rental in that area I wonder (???), it sure would remove a PITA factor (over the years).

What you're doing right now is just a theory, you won't really have much data to judge it until you live with it through a cold season.

On the plus side, if you have renters that fall on hard times and can't pay the gas bill in February, with your current plan the pipes should not freeze up (hopefully it's warm enough inside to prevent this).

Good Luck!

Russell W. · Answer

One furnace but multiple thermostats? Are the ducts zoned with variable dampers? My guess is that it's not, and you'll control the heat for the entire property from one thermostat. This is the best and only way to go about it (short of installing separate heating systems in each apartment). Inevitably you'll have someone complain they're too cold, and someone else complain they're too hot. This is common with buildings that have hot water/steam boilers. Will tenants be upset with the lack of control, yes, some will, but that's one of the trade offs they make for not having a gas bill of their own.

Marcus Auerbach · Answer

Most businesses try to come up with ways to increase customer service and client satisfaction, you are thinking about how much will they tollerate without complaining too much. I would rethink that approach, because it will come back and bite you - even if you tell them up front: if they are frustrated about it, they will channel their frustration into something else.

That being said, 71 is not too bad, I just wonder about your general philosophy and the types of tenants you will attract with that.

Jonathan Klemm · Answer

Hey @Colin Olsen - Congrats on closing the 3 flat in Berwyn.  I love that area and have a building in Cicero not too far from you, but mainly investing in Chicago.

I think that is totally fair for you tenants.  Plus, as long as you set the expectation upfront that the thermostat is set at those temperatures, how can they be upset.  Great idea!

Colin Olsen · Answer

Thanks, @John Warren - I wasn't even aware it was possible to limit temperatures from the zone valve. I'll have to look into this more, thanks for the suggestion!

Will programmable thermostats deter renters?

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