communal heating

[hansa]

I own a flat in a converted building (6 flats) and there is a communal central heating system which we all contribute towards. The building manager only provides heating for about 7.5 hours a day though and we have no control over it. This is causing problems when it gets really cold because a couple of years ago, when it got to about minus eight degrees outside, the temperatures got dangerously cold in the building. Last year it wasn't too bad but I worry every winter about this as the 2KW electric fire is not enough on its own.

The boiler is located outside in a boiler room. Would it be possible to fit some sort of thermostat so that we could maintain a minimum temperature in the flats? Somebody has told me that boilers already have a thermostat which kicks in at zero degrees. Is that right? The boiler is only a couple of years old and it certainly didn't come on when it was minus eight in the day (I imagine it would have been even colder at night). Perhaps the boiler room somehow remained above zero.

Is there any product available that might help?

Any help appreciated.

 

[Barry98]

you can fit a thermostat inside yes , but by reading in between the lines it doesnt sound like cares and therefore wont bother.

have you though about some electric oil filled radiators

 

[SilentMike]

Do you know how it is being controlled at the moment?
also do you know what boiler it is?

 

[hansa]

you can fit a thermostat inside yes , but by reading in between the lines it doesnt sound like cares and therefore wont bother.

have you though about some electric oil filled radiators

The landlord for the building as a whole has a legal obligation to provide communal heating between October and April. The lease doesn't mention anything about hours though so I need to look at options before starting legal action. Extra heating would solve the risk but it's a bedsit and space is at a premium. It would be better if I can get the landlord to increase the hours.

Do you know how it is being controlled at the moment?

also do you know what boiler it is?

It is on a timer. It's a glowworm Flexicom 24HX.

 

[SilentMike]

are you saying that you all pay the gas bill between you?

 

[hansa]

are you saying that you all pay the gas bill between you?

yes, the building landlord collects in advance from all flat owners for all sorts of things like insurance, planned maintenance, gardening, cleaning and communal gas and electricity. Then at the end of the year an adjustment is made for exact amounts.

 

[buckley plumb]

yes, the building landlord collects in advance from all flat owners for all sorts of things like insurance, planned maintenance, gardening, cleaning and communal gas and electricity. Then at the end of the year an adjustment is made for exact amounts.

did some flats like this in derby . there were 2 boilers linked in a boiler room and each flat had a zone valve and room stat to control when they wanted their heating on - all the tennants shared the bill.(well it was in with the grounds charge)

 

[SilentMike]

Sounds more of a political problem then a plumbing problem getting everyone to agree is the hard bit

 

[buckley plumb]

Sounds more of a political problem then a plumbing problem getting everyone to agree is the hard bit

the landlady i do some work for only puts the students heating on 5 hrs a day as she pays the bills . all the students do is go out and buy electric heaters and keep them on all day so she is no better off as she pays the electric as well

 

[hansa]

did some flats like this in derby . there were 2 boilers linked in a boiler room and each flat had a zone valve and room stat to control when they wanted their heating on - all the tennants shared the bill.(well it was in with the grounds charge)

How does that work in terms of gas usage though?

is the boiler constantly burning gas?

 

[hansa]

Sounds more of a political problem then a plumbing problem getting everyone to agree is the hard bit

We don't all have to agree. The landlord has a legal agreement with all of us to provide gas central heating between October and April. If we can't agree then a court will decide what that means. Does it mean the boiler can be controlled with a timer? Or does it mean that the boiler has to be on but a thermostat can control things so gas burning isn't constant.

I need to understand though whether gas usage would actually be higher if a thermostat was fitted. At present we have heating on for 7.5 hours per day, even in October, November, march and April. Might not a thermostat actually reduce gas consumption?

Oh, that's a thought. Can a thermostat be used in conjunction with a timer so that there is no gas burning at night? Could such a device be fitted to the Glowworm Flexicom 24HX

 

[SilentMike]

You can get programable thermostats and you can use thermostats in conjunction with a timer to control the temperature for the set times

 

[hansa]

You can get programable thermostats and you can use thermostats in conjunction with a timer to control the temperature for the set times

Excellent. Many thanks!

 

[anz]

You can get programable thermostats and you can use thermostats in conjunction with a timer to control the temperature for the set times

This will then make controlling the heating easier and should reduce running costs by shutting the boiler down when the flats are warm enough.

 

[heatpumps]

As per my knowledge,a communal or District heating system supplies heat to a number of dwellings from a common heat source.The heat is often obtained from a cogeneration plant burning fossil fuels but increasingly biomass, although heat-only boiler stations, geothermal heating and central solar heating are also used, as well as nuclear power.