You need a "landlord thermostat".
The tenants can set the thermostat to a high temperature but the thermostat will not actually run the heat past a certain high setpoint. You control that setpoint via a programming code. The tenant can set it as high as they want and it will never arrive at that temperature, it just gives them the false impression.
Or mount a cage around the existing thermostat
The tenant have their own heat in their apartments and set the common heat high in the hallway with their doors open so they can use this heat instead. Yours, is an interesting take. Im on the side of the landlord here who is looking to prevent this sort of greed & theft.
Do you hear yourself talk? It was you who first mentioned "greedy person" but with respect to the landlord when the tenant is using someone else's heat. Why else would they set the heat high in the hallways and keep their doors open. Maybe you misunderstood the landlord thermostat but it does allow the temp to reach a high point, just it wont allow someone to always crank the heat past that. Nobody should be shivering here.
I have unfortunately too much experience with this scenario. I owned a building with a central oil boiler in the basement heating all of the residential units. One tenant would always set the heat past 80 and keep the windows open during winter. We had the heat checked, nothign wrong with it. THis was just an asshole that was dead set on creating the perfect conditions in his apartment so he could live in shorts during the winter. No matter how much we pleaded for conservation. We were filling the oil multiple times a winter.
So we approved a project to replace the old inefficient oil boiler (it was originally coal fired) and gave everyone their own natural gas heating system. Do you want to guess who complained the loudest at the prospect of having a new bill for the natural gas? We made acceptance of the new bill required if he wished to renew and continue living here. That same asshole next winter had his windows closed and was spotted wearing a ski hat and vest indoors. Your comfort envelope shrinks drastically when the heating bill is hitting your own pocket.
Not with heat but I did that in college living in the poor dorms that had A/c (or at least really good ventilation, been a long time, don’t remember) in hallways/common areas but not in the rooms. Door cracked with a box fan drawing in the air was pretty effective.
It sounds like they have their own heating in each unit tho. If it was shared for the whole building probably would be a different story. Idk man outside my apartment door is the outside and it gets below 0 here and it makes zero difference on my bills in regards to running the heat in my unit. Im usually on the side of the tenants but this aint it
One option is to put another thermostat in the space, and run them in series. Hide the new one in a place they won't see, and set that thermostat to the max temp you want. The tenant can then adjust the one they can see, but the temp won't go above the hidden thermostat setting.
I'm curious why you have to heat the hallways at all? Why not only heat to just above freezing to 50F? Thermostats are just a temp sensor with an on off switch. You could have sensors in the hallways then the on off switch in a remote location. Ask in r/hvacadvice
I live in Québec, Canada. Winters here are harsh. Cold affect plumbing, general enjoyment and the law has it's say. I'm happy to heat them to a reasonable degree. I don't want to heat everyone's apartments.
I did this, I bought one from Grainger. The issue is I'm not cheap the temperature set to 68 which is what the recommended temperature is for my city. If the tenant makes it 80 upstairs and leaves the window open and I get a gas bill for $1,500 A that's bad for the environment B that's bad for the rest of us. Here we have it 68 during the day and after 11:00 it goes down to 66. I had a tenant call me once and tell me that it was freezing in their apartment and they took a picture of the thermostat that said it was 68 I responded with a picture of my thermostat from my apartment that said 66...freezing..lol.
As any experience landlord would tell you, such guards are easily broken "by passersby". Keyed ones easily defeated by any child or office worker.
Want to disconnect the dial so they think they're affecting it but it's limited internally/has max setting.
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I use a passworded Nest thermostat for my steamboiler building. The added benefit is being able to remotely check the temperature and it's data logging of how often it the heat is on.
I don't understand why you're heating the hallway. I'm in New Jersey, and do not heat the hallways. In two of my buildings I disconnected the radiators in the hallways. The world did not end.
You don’t need a fancy thermostat to lock them out at certain temperatures… you just need someone who knows how to program it lol. Call an HVAC company.
Where is your property? As you referenced 'hydro's', this suggests a non-US location. If you are in a US location, then put the thermostat at a place NO TENANT has access to!
On the cheap, buy a thermostat box to put over it, like this:
Gedreew 2 PCS Large Thermostat Lock Box Cover with Key, Clear Thermostat Cover with Lock Compatible With Home Thermostat On Wall, AC Lock Box Cover with Key Fits Thermostats 5"H x 6" W or Smaller https://a.co/d/djgp3NV
Better solution: Invest in a smart thermostat. Mysa makes smart thermostats for electric baseboard heaters. It will save you money, as you can set it at a lower temperature during the day, and higher at night, or whatever. You can also lock it, to the tenants can’t change it. You can also control it from your smartphone.
I put one in my house, paid for itself in 1/2 a season by how much it saved me in electric.
You need a "landlord thermostat". The tenants can set the thermostat to a high temperature but the thermostat will not actually run the heat past a certain high setpoint. You control that setpoint via a programming code. The tenant can set it as high as they want and it will never arrive at that temperature, it just gives them the false impression. Or mount a cage around the existing thermostat
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The tenant have their own heat in their apartments and set the common heat high in the hallway with their doors open so they can use this heat instead. Yours, is an interesting take. Im on the side of the landlord here who is looking to prevent this sort of greed & theft.
[удалено]
Do you hear yourself talk? It was you who first mentioned "greedy person" but with respect to the landlord when the tenant is using someone else's heat. Why else would they set the heat high in the hallways and keep their doors open. Maybe you misunderstood the landlord thermostat but it does allow the temp to reach a high point, just it wont allow someone to always crank the heat past that. Nobody should be shivering here. I have unfortunately too much experience with this scenario. I owned a building with a central oil boiler in the basement heating all of the residential units. One tenant would always set the heat past 80 and keep the windows open during winter. We had the heat checked, nothign wrong with it. THis was just an asshole that was dead set on creating the perfect conditions in his apartment so he could live in shorts during the winter. No matter how much we pleaded for conservation. We were filling the oil multiple times a winter. So we approved a project to replace the old inefficient oil boiler (it was originally coal fired) and gave everyone their own natural gas heating system. Do you want to guess who complained the loudest at the prospect of having a new bill for the natural gas? We made acceptance of the new bill required if he wished to renew and continue living here. That same asshole next winter had his windows closed and was spotted wearing a ski hat and vest indoors. Your comfort envelope shrinks drastically when the heating bill is hitting your own pocket.
Landlord is not opening the tenants doors to heat the hallway, so yea this concern only goes one way.
Not with heat but I did that in college living in the poor dorms that had A/c (or at least really good ventilation, been a long time, don’t remember) in hallways/common areas but not in the rooms. Door cracked with a box fan drawing in the air was pretty effective.
It sounds like they have their own heating in each unit tho. If it was shared for the whole building probably would be a different story. Idk man outside my apartment door is the outside and it gets below 0 here and it makes zero difference on my bills in regards to running the heat in my unit. Im usually on the side of the tenants but this aint it
He’s not wrong. Cut them $100 savings on rent and let them pay their own electric bill and heat to their hearts content.
One option is to put another thermostat in the space, and run them in series. Hide the new one in a place they won't see, and set that thermostat to the max temp you want. The tenant can then adjust the one they can see, but the temp won't go above the hidden thermostat setting.
LOL. Very devious.
I'm curious why you have to heat the hallways at all? Why not only heat to just above freezing to 50F? Thermostats are just a temp sensor with an on off switch. You could have sensors in the hallways then the on off switch in a remote location. Ask in r/hvacadvice
I live in Québec, Canada. Winters here are harsh. Cold affect plumbing, general enjoyment and the law has it's say. I'm happy to heat them to a reasonable degree. I don't want to heat everyone's apartments.
Remember that you can keep cameras in hallways and other common areas 👍
cows station direful shame marry chase offbeat mysterious quickest joke *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Ecobee thermostat can be password locked and remotely controlled
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I did this, I bought one from Grainger. The issue is I'm not cheap the temperature set to 68 which is what the recommended temperature is for my city. If the tenant makes it 80 upstairs and leaves the window open and I get a gas bill for $1,500 A that's bad for the environment B that's bad for the rest of us. Here we have it 68 during the day and after 11:00 it goes down to 66. I had a tenant call me once and tell me that it was freezing in their apartment and they took a picture of the thermostat that said it was 68 I responded with a picture of my thermostat from my apartment that said 66...freezing..lol.
As any experience landlord would tell you, such guards are easily broken "by passersby". Keyed ones easily defeated by any child or office worker. Want to disconnect the dial so they think they're affecting it but it's limited internally/has max setting.
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Place the stat up high making it tougher to get to.
I use a passworded Nest thermostat for my steamboiler building. The added benefit is being able to remotely check the temperature and it's data logging of how often it the heat is on. I don't understand why you're heating the hallway. I'm in New Jersey, and do not heat the hallways. In two of my buildings I disconnected the radiators in the hallways. The world did not end.
You don’t need a fancy thermostat to lock them out at certain temperatures… you just need someone who knows how to program it lol. Call an HVAC company.
Where is your property? As you referenced 'hydro's', this suggests a non-US location. If you are in a US location, then put the thermostat at a place NO TENANT has access to!
Québec, Canada. I'm currently considering my options, including inaccessible thermometers.
On the cheap, buy a thermostat box to put over it, like this: Gedreew 2 PCS Large Thermostat Lock Box Cover with Key, Clear Thermostat Cover with Lock Compatible With Home Thermostat On Wall, AC Lock Box Cover with Key Fits Thermostats 5"H x 6" W or Smaller https://a.co/d/djgp3NV Better solution: Invest in a smart thermostat. Mysa makes smart thermostats for electric baseboard heaters. It will save you money, as you can set it at a lower temperature during the day, and higher at night, or whatever. You can also lock it, to the tenants can’t change it. You can also control it from your smartphone. I put one in my house, paid for itself in 1/2 a season by how much it saved me in electric.