The aftermath for heat wave AC units

By HEIDI KRONAIZL News Editor

 

 Residential Life has begun to take requests from residents who would like to have their air conditioner removed from their room. The air conditioners are being pulled as the requests come in. 

Currently, Residential Life is waiting on materials to help permanently install the units and to keep the cracks around the unit covered and insulated. Units in Young and Binnewies Halls will begin to be winterized starting this fall. 

“If they [residents] can permanently install the air conditioner before winter, residents will keep them in their room,” said Director of Residential Life Jeff Hale. “If we can continue on [installing], we will continue on … we can also continue in the spring.”

The goal is to have all air conditioning units permanently installed by next fall. 

There are several students with an air conditioning unit that do not know about the unit removal. 

“Literally we have not heard a single word about this,” said freshman Binnewies resident Peter Haught.

Haught and his roommate Spencer Carstens have run their air conditioners every day since receiving it.

“I only turned it off for this interview so I could hear you well,” Haught said.

Haught and Carstens have decided to keep their air conditioner in their room because they feel that their room gets hot, especially living on the fourth floor of Binnewies Hall.

For students that are looking to have their air conditioner removed that do not live in a building that will soon be winterized, they can put in a work order request to have it removed. Residential Life will remove the unit and store it in an off-campus storage space that the department rents from the university. There are also extra air conditioners that are being stored, in case a unit needs to be replaced.

“Our goal is to make students comfortable and not to inconvenience them more than we have to. We hope that this goes smoothly and when it’s done hopefully it’s a one time thing,” Hale said.

Previously, the department was discussing retrofitting the building that did not have permanent units to central air; however, it is cost prohibited. The cost of purchasing and installing the units still needs to be determined. Over 1,200 units were purchased during the heat wave. The estimated cost per unit is between $300 and $400.