Meanwhile in NYC: my apartment is regularly heated to 85 degrees in the winter, and it's commonplace to open the window and let in some freezing air to fight the radiator.
This is apparently an artifact of the 1918 flu pandemic: building architects / heating engineers intended for windows to be kept open to ventilate spaces in the winter, and so steam heating systems were over-provisioned. A number of friends in old apartments in Pittsburgh had the same issue with building heat.
(Relatedly, I wonder what effect the current pandemic will have on the modern trend of well-sealed homes...)
Huh, I always assumed it was due to minimum temp laws, where it was cheaper to just heat everything full blast and never have to worry about a 1st floor or basement apartment not getting enough heat, and cheaper than installing valves or thermostats in every unit.
Every apartment I've lived in around NY and North NJ was like this. All had steam radiator heaters, and the heating was so hot, especially in the fall and spring, that you controlled the temp by opening or closing the window over the radiator. All but one also had single pipe radiators[0], so you couldn't turn them down with the valve or you'd end up filling the radiator with water and breaking the system.
However parts of NYC do still have steam heating powered by a central plant (mostly ConEd iirc) so in the end it might actually end up more efficient with the windows open than having a per unit heater.
I guess it's just Manhattan that has central steam, but it also provides cooling via absorption chillers and steam for disinfection. Also much of this steam is basically a waste product of electricity generation, so the actual efficiency may be even higher.
Edit 2: I also found and article in NY Times that supports the spanish flu as the reason for this, and also describes 1 vs 2 pipe systems.
cfallin|5 years ago
(Relatedly, I wonder what effect the current pandemic will have on the modern trend of well-sealed homes...)
Tiksi|5 years ago
Every apartment I've lived in around NY and North NJ was like this. All had steam radiator heaters, and the heating was so hot, especially in the fall and spring, that you controlled the temp by opening or closing the window over the radiator. All but one also had single pipe radiators[0], so you couldn't turn them down with the valve or you'd end up filling the radiator with water and breaking the system.
However parts of NYC do still have steam heating powered by a central plant (mostly ConEd iirc) so in the end it might actually end up more efficient with the windows open than having a per unit heater.
Edit: Wikipedia link on NYC's system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_steam_system
I guess it's just Manhattan that has central steam, but it also provides cooling via absorption chillers and steam for disinfection. Also much of this steam is basically a waste product of electricity generation, so the actual efficiency may be even higher.
Edit 2: I also found and article in NY Times that supports the spanish flu as the reason for this, and also describes 1 vs 2 pipe systems.
[0] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/13/realestate/radiators-stea...