Every building on campus has thermostats to control the heat.  At Bates, standard temperature settings should be within 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter season, although some +/-4 degrees fluctuation is possible due to environmental conditions. For more information regarding seasonal heating and cooling changes, click here.

Some areas are controlled by Building Automation Systems.  Building Automation is software that allows Facility Services to remotely control and adjust temperature settings across campus, and troubleshoot reported issues before going on site. In fact, you may not always see a Facility Services employee on site to fix your heating issue if it is something that can be resolved remotely.

We know that sometimes problems occur and spaces get too cold or too hot.  If this happens, here are steps you can take to address the problem:

Check your baseboard heater.  Is it blocked by furniture or smothered with objects such as rugs, bedding, or clothing? This will block the heat.   Baseboard heaters must be clear of objects by at least 6 in/15 cm to work properly.

Check your windows.  Leaving windows open wastes energy and goes against our Sustainability goals. Closing and locking windows creates a seal that will not allow outside cold air into your space. Make sure that the window is fully closed before attempting to engage the lock. If it is too hot in your space, please submit a service request to resolve your issue.

Check your thermostat.  There are several different types of controls throughout campus:

 Thermostats located directly on or near the heating unit:

These may have numbers (usually #1-6), dots, snowflakes, and/or sun & moon icons.   Lower numbers, smaller dots, etc., turns heat down while higher numbers, bigger dots, etc., turns the heat up. If the heater makes a squealing noise, try adjusting the knob to line up with the next marking.

Heating units in the Villages residences (Moody, Rzasa, and Hopkins) have a fan speed selector switch on each unit under the lid at one end or the other. These knobs can be adjusted to vary the speed of the fan blowing hot air.

Wall-mounted thermostats (may be shared with other rooms or areas) including:

 Honeywell thermostats are found in most residential style rentals and TA / Coaches buildings as well as a couple of student dorms on Wood Street, these thermostats with direct temperature readings which may be controlled by occupants.  The top red line is the temp set point, adjustable by turning the clear plastic piece on the front.  The bottom is the current space temp.

Digital Display Thermostat. These newer digital display thermostats located in Chase Hall and some Frye St and Wood St residences can be adjusted by pressing the screen on the image of the thermometer and adjusting the temperature within a set range between 65 and 74 degrees.

Distech rotary thermostats located in Pettengill, Gillespie, and Chase Hall. These thermostats have a rotary dial that in the center point has a setting of 70 degrees. The dial can be adjusted towards either a ‘+’ icon or a ‘-‘ icon to adjust the temperature 3 degrees in either direction.

Digital programmable thermostats which may be controlled by occupants are in Chu and Kalperis. Heating and cooling can be adjusted in a range between 65-74 degrees, depending on the season. These buildings transition from cooling mode to heating mode, usually in late September to early October, at which point cooling is no longer available. If the display screen shows ‘lockout’ on the screen, a work order request is necessary for FS to reset the unit.

Limited adjustment types (in Roger Williams and Hedge,) can be adjusted up or down within a set range but may not show temperature.   Occupants have
the ability to go +/- 3 degrees using the black switch at the Thermostat’s bottom.

If your room is still too hot or too cold or you have difficulty understanding your control method, please submit a service request by clicking here, or if it is urgent call the work order line.