Renters Upset About "Insane" ConEd Bills to Heat Crown Heights Luxury Building
It’s been an unusually long and cold winter, but even so, the heating bills at new luxury rental building 500 Sterling Place in Crown Heights have been “insanely expensive,” according to one renter there who got in touch with us. She said said her January bill was $598 and February $700 to heat a two-bedroom,…
It’s been an unusually long and cold winter, but even so, the heating bills at new luxury rental building 500 Sterling Place in Crown Heights have been “insanely expensive,” according to one renter there who got in touch with us. She said said her January bill was $598 and February $700 to heat a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment of about 1,000 square feet — and that was with the heat off in one of the bedrooms. (For comparison, this is about what we pay for a three-story row house.)
“At this point, most tenants I’ve spoken with are very upset,” she told us. “I don’t know what we’re going to do about the bills ourselves, as they’ve gotten to be more then what I can afford. We’re definitely moving out after our lease is up!”
Each apartment has large PTAC electric heating/cooling units under the windows in its main rooms. Click through to see what one looks like in a bedroom at the complex.
Since she first contacted us two weeks ago, the management company has met with the entire building to discuss the problems and has agreed to pay “a substantial portion of everyone’s ConEd bills,” she said. They have been “really receptive and transparent. I think we’ll wait and see about moving, as they’ve been so responsive.”
Complaints about high heating bills are not uncommon in new-construction luxury rental buildings. Another example is 53 Broadway in Williamsburg, which we’ve written about here and here.
The building’s management company had no comment. We also reached out to the owner, and will update the story if we hear anything.
In the meantime, is anyone else out there experiencing similar problems with PTAC units in any kind of building? And are there any heating experts out there who can clue us in to what the underlying issue is — design, installation, or just the nature of PTAC units?
500 Sterling Place Coverage [Brownstoner]
Photos by Halstead
These are some of the very same people that are crying for our Mayor not to add any increases to stabilized rents. Guess what fuel costs have been going theough the roof for years. Stop crying
If you can’t stand the heat(ing bills), get out of the rental.
Assuming there’s no problem with the electric meters being used, its probably a case of cheap construction – covered up by high-end finishes.
When we lived in a 700 square foot 2 bedroom with ptac our heat was about 300-400/ month and cooling was over 500/month. In a prewar apartment almost twice that size our ac bill peaked at 350. And that was with me blasting it.
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Some of this is con ed-our central ac in dc costs 150 a month–and that’s for a 2500 square foot house. Heating is 350 a month and all my neighbors think that is shocking high. So, in closing, yes–ptac units are not good and con eds rates are crazy… but I wonder if something else is going on too sometimes. After we left our ptac apartment one neighbor told me their utilities spiked to about 700 a month. Was that a rent increase, or something dodgy with the meters? I do not know
considering how widespread the issue is among tenants – my guess is that there is inadequate insulation inside the exterior wall. Wouldn’t be surprised by this at all!!!!!!!!!
These appear to be air sourced heat pumps – an air conditioner that works in heat or cool, else there is an electric heating coil for winter. Either way it is an all electric set up, not very efficient, and the energy costs are entirely on the owner. Such an arrangement eliminates the need for any central HVAC system (a significant development cost and one which requires more central maintenance.) Hence there are few energy costs for the owner.
The only positive is the landlord’s commitment to pay ‘a substantial portion’ of the electrical costs. Otherwise, these units will not rent well in the future.
If it were a condo the tenants would be SOL.
My February coned bill was over $1200 for a 1 bedroom /two floor apartment on Greenpoint.
That is about what I pay to my co-op in the summer when I use the AC every day. Doesn’t seem fair for heat, which is not a luxury. I would think that the rent should be a couple hundred bucks a month cheaper than the average in the hood in order to offset the known high cost to the renter for electric heat…
Large windows equals heat loss, no shock @ all.
true re: PTACs not necessarily electric heat, but you still need the fan running on the unit to blow the hot air out – so you’re still getting nailed by con ed – although not as much.
how the building allocates charges could also have an effect – my old “luxury rental” building would allocate electric charges based on square footage and number of occupants