Posted by Jim Locker on December 21, 2000 at 19:37:35:
I am not aware of a commercial product that would let you meter the heat to an apartment. You could install a flowmeter and a thermometer, then do the computation to determine how much energy is being shipped to each apartment.
I take a different approach to my buildings where I pay the heat. It is written right into the lease that the tenant is to avoid waste, and they will be charged for any waste they cause. I then have a specific schedule of charges for items of waste where the exact amount of waste is difficult to measure, such as leaving the windows open when the heat is on.
There is a flat rate charge of $150 per month extra if I come by the building and see the window open while the temperature is below 40 degrees F and the heat is on. I take a picture, and send a bill. If they don’t pay, I evict. Since it is clearly spelled out in the lease, it holds in court.
You might also choose to eliminate the zone controls and just run a simple loop. Then if they open the window, their apartment gets cold, and there is no additional demand call for the boiler.