If you have ever stayed in a Berlin apartment during winter time, you might already know: Berlin’s apartments are heated by a variety of different heating systems: gas heating, coal heating, central heating. On this page I’ll compile some basic facts you should probably know about the various heating systems you may find in an average Berlin apartment.
Gas Heating
Since Berlin has quite a well organized gas net, Gas Heating is probably still the most common heating system in Berlin apartments. In general the heating system itself should almost be care-free for the tenants since it is usually well maintained due to government requirements on gas heating systems being quite strict. Read on …
Coal Heating
Used to be the most popular in old apartments.
Central Heating
In new buildings, especially in new buildings in West Berlin, heating and hot water is often provided by a central heating system. This can be very convenient. However, depending on the technology, central heating can also lead to problems – especially if communication with the building community, the landlord or the property management turns out to be difficult. Especially during the periods in the fall and spring, there is sometimes disagreement about when the central heating should be turned on or off.
Also if the heating system is no longer the latest, this can lead to conflicts. I was once half-involved in the following situation: while the lower floors were heated to a cozy temperature, the residents on the upper floors complained that ‘nothing’ would reach them. In this case, there was also one resident who often had to work at her desk very early in the morning – but the heating was set so that it only reached full power from 6am. The other residents, on the other hand, wanted to avoid higher heating costs and were against the heating being on full power all night long. Unfortunately, I don’t know whether an agreement has been reached or not.
So central heating can be a great thing – but it also has a certain potential for conflict.
long-distance heating / teleheating [district heating]
…to be continued…
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