On Jun 9, 9:57*pm, "benick" wrote:
"lakeshow" wrote in message

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Hi there,

I own a duplex that has hydronic heating with an oil-fired boiler. The
problem is that there is a single oil tank for the whole duplex, and as
the owner (living in the lower duplex) I have no control over how much
tenants (living in the upper duplex) consume in terms of heating. The
boiler is relatively new and I would hate to have to replace it, but I am
looking for a way to separate the heating either switching to gas or
electric, so that each living unit is independent.
Does anyone know if this can be done without replacing the boiler?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks.

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Put one of those locking plastic boxes (like you see in schools , hospitals
and other commercial buildings) over the thermostats and set it at 68
degrees....- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


I'd buy a good setback thermostat for the rental unit. Program it
for them, show them how to use it and explain that the oil bill plays
a large part in determining if you need to raise their rent. Then,
keep an eye on the oil bill. Assuming you have some historical data,
you should be able to tell if the bills are excessively high. If
they are, then just raise the rent by enough to offset it and tell
them why the rent is being increased.

As others have suggested, you CAN do just about anything. But given
that you have a new boiler, installing a seperate heating system for
the rental unit is going to have a very long payback. Plus, you'd
have 2 systems to maintain, which will cost more than one.

Also, since the rental is on the second level, their heating reqts are
probably going to be less than yours on the first floor. So, if you
go with two seperate systems, you will probably still have a bigger
oil bill than they do.