Schaumburg panel endorses more flexibility on when apartments must switch from heat to A/C

A Schaumburg committee Thursday recommended the village offer greater flexibility to owners of older apartment buildings with boiler systems regarding the times when they switch between heating and air conditioning each year.

Currently, villages rules require heat from Sept. 15 through June 1. That’s often caused discomfort for some residents where the transition between systems can only be done once a season.

Community Development Director Julie Fitzgerald said 16 of the village’s 30 multifamily buildings fall into this category. Most of the complaints the village receives come from both The Grove at Schaumburg Apartments and 21 Kristin Apartments.

“We get a few complaints each year,” she said. “We got more this year.”

Resident John Finch said he’s lived at The Grove for five years and the uncomfortable days seem to get worse each year.

Last month his air conditioning was turned off a week before the Sept. 15 requirement for heat to make the transition. During the hot days that recurred for the rest of the month, not only was he without A/C but the heat was actively on.

“There’s radiant heat coming from the vent,” Finch said.

He shared a general email from the management of The Grove explaining to residents the village’s requirement to maintain a temperature of at least 68 degrees from Sept. 15 to June 1.

“It doesn’t matter how hot it gets as long as it’s above 68 degrees,” Finch told members of the village’s Planning, Building & Development Committee. “Then you’re cooking all of us.”

Schaumburg Trustee Jack Sullivan, who chairs the committee, said he thought the apartment management was misunderstanding the requirement in believing the heat had to be on during such hot days.

But the staff recommendation the committee endorsed was to offer apartment complexes the discretion to choose their own dates to make the switch within 30 days on either side of June 1 and Sept. 15.

This would guarantee residents the availability of heat as late as May 1 and as early as Oct. 15 each year.

“I’m very pleased to hear that,” Finch told the committee. “Thank you.”

While other options were presented, Sullivan thought the recommended one was worth testing for a year.

The full village board will consider approval at its next meeting Tuesday, Oct. 28.