While the weather is getting a little warmer in Spring Quarter, DePaul Housing needs to set expectations with students by sharing information about temperature control inside its residential buildings.
Until the weather forecast calls for consistently warmer daytime temperatures, with nighttime lows at least in the 60s and no cooler temperatures expected in the 7-10 day forecast, we cannot switch to air conditioning. The following outlines equipment limitations and local laws related to building temperature:
(1) Unlike a residential heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system that simply involves flipping a switch to turn on the A/C, our residence halls work with a different type of system that is common in large buildings, like high-rise condominiums. The piping system circulates only hot water or only cold water through fan units to control the temperature in each room. Transitioning from heating to cooling alone is labor intensive and takes up to one week to complete. The process involves shutting down the equipment that provides the hot water, closing certain valves, de-winterizing the large chiller unit on the roof that supplies the chilled water, getting the chiller unit and pumps up and running, and opening other valves so the chilled water and flow through the building.
(2) In May, the nighttime temperature can range anywhere from the high 40s to low 60s. Our A/C systems will not operate when the outside temperature is below 65 degrees. When that occurs, the large chiller unit on the roof that provides the chilled water for the A/C shuts down to prevent it from being damaged by running when the outside temperature is too low.
(3) The City of Chicago heat ordinance requires a minimum indoor temperature of 68 degrees during the daytime hours and 66 degrees during the overnight hours from September 15 through June 1 each year.
As you can see, the A/C issue is much more complex than just flipping a switch and turning it on. Historically, the switchover to A/C usually occurs sometime in mid to late May, but it is dependent on the forecasts. As you have witnessed, Chicago weather can vary widely. Facility Operations is continuously monitoring the forecast and will make the switch from heat to A/C as soon as they are confident that the nighttime lows will not be too low where heat would be required.
In the meantime, to keep cool on warmer days, we recommend turning off the blower unit in your room, opening your window, and running a fan. Ideally, if you can place a fan in the window to pull the cooler outside air in, this will also help.