CH-93-06-4 -- Energy Cost allocation in Multifamily Buildings Using Comfort-Based Allocation Devices ✓ Most Recent

Individual apartment units in a multifamily building may have identical floor plans but widely different heating and cooling loads due to variations in exposed area, infiltration, solar gain, and so on. Property owners who allocate the energy costs for the central heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to individual apartment units based on the HVAC energy use in each unit frequently find that the allocations must be modified, based on heat loss calculations or other adjustments, in order to achieve equity among residents. Alternatively, some property owners adjust rent schedules to compensate for differences in HVAC energy costs. Explains how a comfort-based system using thermostat setpoint as an indication of system demand effectively eliminates building variables. All residents with the same size apartment with the same average monthly setpoint pay the same amount. The thermostat setpoint in each apartment is transduced from a potentiometer attached to the thermostat lever arm and then is transmitted to a central processor over building telephone lines. Typical installed costs for the allocation system are 300 dollars per apartment unit.

KEYWORDS: energy, costs, flats, buildings, heat load, cooling load, comfort, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, tenants, energy conservation, USA, energy consumption.

Units: Dual