The Anchorage, Part 3

[Miss B]

Thanks. Luckily it's only for a few weeks in the Fall and a few weeks in the Spring. During the full-on Winter months, the heat is pumping good, so no need for the "extras" when I go to sleep.

 

[Lorraine]

Good grief! That's...I have no words, Miss B. What would happen if you had a little fan heater...are they banned too?

Well the weather in Opua is driving me crazy. The last three days have been really cold and I've been wearing multi layers of winter clothes, today I'm back wearing a sundress cos it's so warm (not sunny but, just overcast and drizzly). No wonder so many people get sick at this time of the year...there is a nasty virus going round the village that I truly hope I miss. It's one that leaves you battered and prostate and very ill and being as there's no one here to take care of me, I'd rather pass on it.

So Sunday in Opua will be a very quiet one for me, was hoping to get on the computer but wind and tide are all wrong so reading will take its place. Hope everyone is well and enjoying their day/night.

 

[Miss B]

To tell the truth Lorraine, I've always been wary of those heaters, as one of the secretaries in my old firm had one, and it shorted out and there was a small fire. Considering it was practically under her desk, that could've been a major problem. Luckily she wasn't sitting at her desk when it happened.

I know they are made better now-a-days, but I don't think I would buy one.

 

[Lorraine]

They're pretty ubiquitous in Kiwiland, them and oil column heaters. I've even got them on the boat. Used to run them off my big gennie before it packed its sad but now they are for when I'm in the yard doing my maintenance. I also take one ashore in the winter when I'm housesitting as both the houses have unflued lpg heaters and they make me feel a bit yick. They do need ventilation, fan heaters, and nothing on or near them.

 

[Pendraia]

Afternoon all...

Okay...that's something I didn't know Miss B and to me just sounds plain weird! How would they enforce something like that in private homes?

 

[Lorraine]

Hey Pen, hope your day is going well. It does sound weird to me too, Pen. I wonder what the rational is?

 

[Pendraia]

Yeah...it's okay. I've been doing some school work and stuff around the house today.

I'm wondering if it's part of how they are controlling energy usage for the global warming agreements? It doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Terre]

Thanks. Luckily it's only for a few weeks in the Fall and a few weeks in the Spring. During the full-on Winter months, the heat is pumping good, so no need for the "extras" when I go to sleep.

McGiver should know if it applies to private residences. I would guess it does but a lot probably break the rule. Multi-unit dwellings can't afford to though. I'd imagine the fine is based on the number of dwellings affected by a given violation.

 

[Lorraine]

Sans Souci has eaten my reading glasses. I used them when I was on the computer and now I can't find them. I hope she gets severe indigestion and burps them up before morning. She is a Very Bad Girl.

 

[Lorraine]

Sans Souci did not eat my reading glasses...my dressing gown did.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

It's always seemed odd to me that NYC would control when heat could be used, so I did some digging around.

I've never lived in a building where I didn't have control of heat, but I've also always lived in all electric buildings. Older buildings ... especially on the East Coast ... may be using steam heat where it can't be controlled individually. Consequently, tenants are reliant on the building superintendents to control the heat. Which resulted in housing being inadequately heated when owners were not concerned about the wellbeing of tenants.

Therefore, governments stepped in and laws were enacted to protect tenants. In NYC:

• Heat and hot water are required to be provided for all tenants (although based on your lease you may be required to pay for gas, fuel, or electricity to run heating equipment).
  
  
• Property owners are required to provide hot water 365 days per year at a constant minimum temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
  
  
• Between October 1st and May 31st, a period designated as "Heat Season," property owners are also required to provide tenants with heat under the following conditions:
  
  
• Between the hours of 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM, if the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees, the inside temperature is required to be at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit; and,
  Between the hours of 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM, if the temperature outside falls below 40 degrees, the inside temperature is required to be at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

So ... now this all makes sense to me. Guess it's not NYC being draconian after all, but looking out for the little guy :wink:

 

[Satira Capriccio]

Glad you found your glasses Lorraine!

 

[Lorraine]

Me too, Satira!

That heating info does seem to make more sense...I wonder what dates Miss B gets her heating turned on and off. I actually wish that there was similar legislation in NZ. Too many damp cold homes are rented out in this country and it's disgusting.

 

[Seliah (Childe of Fyre)]

I know for about a month before we get heat in the Fall, and a month after it's turned off in the Spring, I feel cold all the time, especially at night when I'm trying to warm up so I can get to sleep.

Yeah... this is one of the reasons that when we were renting apartments, we would NOT take an apartment unless we had control over our own thermostat.

Do they have the heat turned on by Oct 1st? Because if it's not on by Oct 1st, and isn't kept on until May 31st, then what they are doing is illegal in the State of New York.

Here :
Tenants’ Rights

It's the paragraph at the absolute bottom of the page. Big sub-heading of "Heat." I only wanted to point that out, because I'm a landlord myself (our house has two rental units in it), and this is one of the reasons that we've made sure tenants have access to their own thermostats. They have to pay for their own heat, and if at any point the power company shuts them off, we are required to issue them a 3-day notice; but they have access to their own thermostats, and can turn the heat on, off, up, or down whenever they feel like they need to.

For landlords who insist on controlling the heat, however, the above link is a requirement of those landlords. The heat needs to be left on until May 31st. And it needs to be ON by October 1st. And it needs to maintain no less than 68 degrees at all times between 6am and 10pm when it's below 55 outside, and it has to maintain 55 degrees at all times between 10pm and 6am in NYC and Buffalo, when it's below 40 degrees outside.

If any of those conditions are not met, then what the landlord is doing is illegal.

I just wanted to point that out is all. The sum of it is - that the heat should STILL be on for you, Miss B. And if it's not, they're breaking the laws surrounding tenant's rights and public safety when it comes to heating and livable residential conditions. Basically, they are not allowed to turn it OFF until Summer is just about on top of us.

Edit : Added a NYS Assemblyman link for reference.

Edit #2 : Oops. Satira already covered it. That's what I get for responding before I've finished reading to the end of the thread. LOL

 

[Miss B]

Oh we still have heat, but it has to be below a certain temp during the day, and a certain temp after 11:00pm at night. The heat isn't "turned off" as it were, it just needs to meet the temp level requirements.

 

[Seliah (Childe of Fyre)]

Yep. 6am to 10pm; if the temp is below 55 outside, the heat needs to keep the inside at a minimum of 68 degrees.
From 10pm to 6am, if it's below 40 outside, the heat needs to keep the inside at a minimum of 68 degrees.

The second line there looks like it's specific to just NYC and Buffalo. I know we are subject to the first line, but not that second one, in our area. But then most of the buildings in this area either heat with electric or natural gas.

Either way - I'm glad it's not been turned off entirely yet.

 

[Miss B]

Yep. 6am to 10pm; if the temp is below 55 outside, the heat needs to keep the inside at a minimum of 68 degrees.
From 10pm to 6am, if it's below 40 outside, the heat needs to keep the inside at a minimum of 68 degrees.

The second line there looks like it's specific to just NYC and Buffalo. I know we are subject to the first line, but not that second one, in our area. But then most of the buildings in this area either heat with electric or natural gas.

Either way - I'm glad it's not been turned off entirely yet.

Exactly the requirements. We used to have oil heating until about 2 1/2 years ago. The building was inspected, and it was determined we needed to upgrade to a higher level of oil, so the Board of Directors did some inquiring, and we held a vote, and decided to go with a dual system with the higher level of oil (which of course is more expensive), and gas. This way we can use the gas when the oil prices are very high. That dropped our yearly heating expenses a lot. We're always looking for ways to keep our yearly overall expenses level so we don't get large increases to our monthly maintenance fees.

We also had heat monitors placed in each of the top floor apartments, including mine, and since they're computerized, the building superintendent can monitor what's going on as far as heat distribution, because some apartments are hotter than others, and lower floors would get more heat than the upper floors.

 

[Miss B]

I've never lived in a building where I didn't have control of heat, but I've also always lived in all electric buildings. Older buildings ... especially on the East Coast ... may be using steam heat where it can't be controlled individually. Consequently, tenants are reliant on the building superintendents to control the heat. Which resulted in housing being inadequately heated when owners were not concerned about the wellbeing of tenants.

Yes, this is an old building, built back in the mid- to late 60s, but we've had lots of improvements done since it converted to co-op in late 1987. The only actual control we have is to be able to turn the heat valve off or on in each room, except the bathroom where it's on all the time. We have no control over the actual temperature of each apartment. I'm sure buildings built since the turn of the century, or earlier, all have those controls.

As for what we pay ourselves, it's just electricity. The gas/oil and water costs are part of our monthly maintenance bill, so "shared" by all, even the long-time tenants who still rent their apartments.

So ... now this all makes sense to me. Guess it's not NYC being draconian after all, but looking out for the little guy :wink:

Yes Satira, unfortunately many, many years ago there were owners we referred to as "slumlords" in down-trodden neighborhoods, who didn't care about anything but money, and there often arose a lot of problems with buildings not getting the amenities such as heat when they needed it. It's a sad commentary for a city like NY, but it's the truth, so the laws needed to be enacted.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

Yeah. And we have a lot of slumlords here in Philadelphia too.

I believe one day they will reap the consequences of having been a slumlord. Whether in this life or in whatever form their after takes.

 

[Terre]

OK. All of that makes sense. Uncaring people putting others in a worse situation than would otherwise be.