Congreve Hall
HEATING
Congreve is heated with hot water from the Central Heating Plant. A few rooms in
Congreve have thermostatic control valves mounted on the radiators, but most of the rooms
have no individual temperature control. The entire building receives heat based on
the outdoor air temperature. As it gets colder outdoors, the heating water
circulating throughout the building automatically gets hotter. The device
controlling the water temperature must be set to keep the coldest room, with the most
windows, on the northwest corner of the building warm. That usually results in many
other areas of the building overheating, especially those with an interior or southern
exposure.
If rooms are not warm enough during the winter, those problems are often caused by furniture or other items blocking the natural convective flow of room air through the radiator. In addition to convection, the heating units in Congreve also provide heat by direct radiation into the room. Furniture placed in front of the heater will block the radiant heat. Furniture or other items placed below or above the heater will block the convective heating.
Windows that are not tightly latched can also cause cold rooms. The weather-stripping material on most windows will not seal properly unless the latch is used to pull the window tightly shut.
VENTILATION
There is a no building-wide fan-forced ventilation
system.
DOMESTIC HOT WATER
Domestic hot water for sinks is heated by a steam
line from the Central Heating Plant. An electric recirculating pump continuously
circulates domestic hot water throughout the building, reducing the waiting time when you
open a faucet.
OPPORTUNITIES TO CONSERVE ENERGY
Do not use electric space heaters. Report problems with your heating
system that require the use of a space heater.
Keep windows closed and tightly latched during the heating season.
See the water conservation pages on this web site for ways to conserve water, especially
hot water.
Turn off all lights and electrical devices when leaving your room.
Turn off lights in common areas when not in use.
