converting from Oil heat to gas individual units 24 unit apartment building

elaine howell

I need to convert to gas ..I have single building with 24 apartments I would like to have individual units  for each tenant / base board heat at this time. but with energy price going thru the roof it may be my only choice to let tenants pay their own heat & hot water. The bldg is 50 -60 yrs old with original weil Mcclain oil boiler.. I need advice and what to look for in units and contractors capable of foreseeing any problems this bldg may have... It it rectangled shaped bldg with flat roof It has a 2 courtyards which is actually 2 cinderblock  square chimmney like but largerthan chiimmneys ...I think years ago they were used for air flow / no bathroom fans.. started to change that ..but need to get this energy cost under control. Can anyone help thanks Ehowell

Steamhead

How is the system controlled?

zoned by apartment, by section of building or no zoning at all? Is there an outdoor-reset control (varies water temp according to outdoor temp)?



What model W-M boiler do you have now?



If the individual apartments don't have their own zones, it can be wildly expensive to repipe everything. And it's not such a good idea to locate combustion equipment in tenant spaces where they can tamper with it.



Where are you located?

elaine howell

converting from Oil heat to gas individual units 24 unit apartment building

Its one hugh old weil mclain boiler.... one temperture control? controlled by super and timers..tried outside computer system but didnt work out. The building does have gas to stoves now and I pay for gas.. Need to get control of costs. there are people on top floor w/ window open sometimes in winter in newark nj... some want ore heat or hot water....  Ehowell

Steamhead

Your quote

"there are people on top floor w/ window open sometimes in winter"



tells me you have some control issues. It will cost you much less to solve these.



Too bad you don't live in Baltimore, this would be right up our alley. Click on Find a Contractor at the top of the page, and follow the directions to find someone near you.

nicholas bonham-carter

getting utility costs under control

definitly there are some improvements which can be made to your system, as it now is.

i don't know what the age of the building is, but i am sure that the original owner would not have tolerated a newly-built system with such variations of temperature.

have a look in the find a contractor section here for someone who is capable of getting this system in order, instead of whoever has been cobbling it up to now.

you have come to the right place for advice!--nbc

Charlie from wmass

Would cutting the fuel costs by

30% make it more feasible to stay with a central heat plant? This or even better may be possible with the existing system.

BryanH

where is your property?

where is your property?

Jamie Hall

Not sure...

if this is steam or hot water, but it sounds like hot water.  If so, unless the piping is really truly wonky, it shouldn't be all that hard to put individual control thermostats and circulators or zone valves for each apartment.  That, plus a new boiler plus a decently operating control system (outdoor reset etc. etc.) should be able to cut your energy costs by, as Charles suggests, 30% or more.  Furthermore, with individual circulators and controls (or, for that matter, zone valves and a master circulating system) it would be a pretty simple matter to add on timers to each unit's circulator or zone valves, and divvy up the cost to each tenant.



You can do it with steam, too, but it's somewhat trickier.



Then your fresh air types upstairs could have their windows open all they liked -- if they've got the money, honey, go for it.



But you surely do need a pro for this one.  Find a Contractor should do it -- but search by State, not zip code, and since you say you are in Newark (I think) be sure to search New York state, too.