Today, September 21, 2017 is the last full day of Summer. Although this year it seems that Summer temperatures were late to get started, the beginning of Fall is shaping up to be beautiful! We hope that all condominium residents have an opportunity to enjoy the weather and outside space in their communities.
Around this time of year, Condominium Managers often begin to receive questions about switching from air conditioning to heating in high-rise buildings. It is common for Residents with North or East facing suites to feel it is too cold in their units and South or West facing suites to feel too hot!
How do we decide when to switch from air conditioning to heating?
Each Condominium Corporation, through their Board of Directors, often has a set time frame each year when they will make the change. Usually we aim for the week following Thanksgiving to turn off the air conditioning, with heating being turned on a few days to one week later. Having a predictable schedule each year minimizes inquiries from Residents about when the change will occur.
Why not earlier or later?
Temperatures in the early Fall can fluctuate substantially. 2017 is a good example as at nearly the end of September temperatures are 27+ degrees. By mid-October (Thanksgiving) it is reasonable to expect that daytime temperatures will be in the mid-teens and frost begins to occur overnight.
It got cold suddenly, can’t the heating be switched on right away?
Unfortunately in the City of Toronto there simply are not enough qualified technicians to service every condominium building at the same time. Property Managers must proactively schedule the date to make the switch well in advance. Additionally, service needs to be performed on your heating systems after the air conditioning is switched off and before heating is switched on.
