Facilities Management has received dozens of complaints from residents of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Hall regarding “unbearable heat” inside their rooms.
Over winter break, Facilities Management installed a new heat regulator in the building, but the renovation has made the temperature uncomfortably high in the rooms, residents have reported.
John Ralls, special adviser for communications and outreach, confirmed Facilities Management has received inquiries regarding the sudden high heat in the rooms.
“In response to these concerns, we are actively working to adjust this new equipment to increase the comfort of the building,” he said.
Ralls said JBKO residents have also reported “banging noises” in the steam pipes due to the newly installed regulator. He said this “is not a malfunction of the system and is common in a radiant heat system.”
One resident, Jen Kaminsky, requested she be moved to another room since the heat and particularly the loud noises in hers had become too serious an issue.
“The heat wasn’t too much of a problem, but the constant noise from the steam valves was,” she said.
After contacting Facilities Management with this problem and only having the noise and heat worsen over time, she moved to another floor in JBKO Hall.
Sophomore Michelle Vilas says the heat is indeed intolerable.
“It’s impossible to sleep at night because it is so hot, and my room’s windows don’t even open so I can’t get my room to cool down,” she said.
Janine Palino, another resident, said she is able to open her windows and turn on the air conditioning, but is convinced that “this is a total waste of energy” when dealing with the heat.
“Having a thermostat in every room would be much more efficient,” she said.
Facilities staff is currently inspecting all the problems with the new heat regulator and expects to have the problem solved in a few days.
Ralls insisted that any resident with any further problems with the heat in his or her room should contact the Facilities customer service line.
As for the recent noises from the pipes, “building staff are already inspecting the system to ensure that all is in proper working order,” Ralls said.
