CosmicSurfFarmer t1_j76u5pc wrote on February 4, 2023 at 3:05 PM

Reply to comment by Excellent_Affect4658 in Is it normal for the heat to not be able to keep up with extreme cold? by SquashDue502

It’s not extreme at all. It’s a function of the heat load of the home and the BTU per hour capacity of the heating system. The design day for the system is likely well over -13°, so the system struggles on these outlier days

Excellent_Affect4658 t1_j77v7bx wrote on February 4, 2023 at 7:17 PM

This is not normal. Don’t apologize for landlords. They are required to provide a system capable of maintaining 65 degrees. If the system can’t keep up and drops 10 degrees below that in a single day of cold weather (weather that we regularly have for a few days or a week most winters), then one or more of the following apply:

the rental unit has inadequate insulation and sealing
the heating system is undersized
the heating system needs service
OP has not been shown how to use the system correctly

CosmicSurfFarmer t1_j77xboq wrote on February 4, 2023 at 7:32 PM

Talk to any heating professional- that’s not how it works. If you always designed for the extreme outlying days, then you have a grossly oversized system for the remainder of the year and are wasting a ton on unnecessary equipment. The design day temperature for Rockingham county is 0° for example. That is the standard that a system is installed and sized for. When it’s colder than that, you’re going to need to take supplemental measures.

Excellent_Affect4658 t1_j77xvya wrote on February 4, 2023 at 7:36 PM

And the landlord is required to provide them! So again, either the apartment is inadequate to state standards, or OP has not been shown how to keep it heated. Either way, the answer does not have to be “just suck it up and have a 55 degree apartment.”