Important Heating Law Changes Effective October 1st 2017

As of October 1st, heating law changes will take effect for residential buildings, under Local Law 86.

The new law stipulates that from October 1 through May 31, residential buildings must maintain an internal temperature of at least 62 degrees from 10PM–6AM, regardless of outside temperatures.

A big difference from the current 55 degree minimum, which has also been contingent on external temperatures.

What does this mean for you?

The new law likely means increased fuel costs and burden on heating systems.

Therefore, building owners and property managers should focus in on preventative maintenance measures for boilers and related equipment to protect against outages.

Here are a few helpful suggestions:     

• Install a stack thermometer, which measures the temperature of a boiler’s exhaust gas, thereby monitoring the overall efficiency of the boiler and lowering costs to the building. 
• Install interior sensors that accurately read indoor temperatures (as opposed to an outside temperature sensor only).
• Be more proactive with pricing out oil or gas by locking in prices for your building.
• Schedule preventative maintenance service at least 2 times a year – once before turning on the heat in October and once after closing it down at the end of May.  To include a boiler cleaning and burner combustion efficiency tune-up/testing.  

Click here to continue reading about heating law changes.

If you have any questions regarding your building’s MEP needs, please feel free to contact us.