Individual heating cost allocation: what the condo board should check

Individual allocation was meant to calm the heating debates. It moved them to the readings — and that is where the board has a role.

The principle is appealing: everyone pays for what they use. In practice, individual heating cost allocation raises the same disputes every year — a statement judged absurd, a badly exposed flat paying more than its neighbour, a reading taken without anyone calling.

The board does not arbitrate between an owner and the provider. But it can check that the system works as intended, which nobody else does.

Understanding what the device measures

An allocator fitted to a radiator does not measure kilowatt-hours: it records a temperature difference used to share out a collective bill. Part of the expense also stays collective, to account for heat losses and flat positions.

That distinction explains half the misunderstandings. An individual statement is not a consumption bill: it is an allocation key. Saying so clearly to owners prevents a lot of tension — see how to communicate better with co-owners.

The six annual checks

1. Are all emitters fitted? One radiator forgotten in a corridor distorts the allocation for the whole building.
2. Did the readings actually take place, and on what date? Ask for the reading report, not just the statement.
3. How many homes are on estimates for lack of access, and for how many years? An estimate repeated three years running is a signal.
4. Do the coefficients applied — floor area, exposure, position in the building — match what was voted?
5. Are the collective and individual shares consistent with the meeting decision?
6. Is the reading contract coming up for renewal, and when?

An individual statement is not challenged on a feeling: it is checked against the reading report.

When an owner disputes

Ask them for three things before any step: their statement, last year's, and the floor area used. A sharp year-on-year gap often points to an estimate, a faulty device or a data-entry error — three causes that can be corrected, unlike an unfavourable exposure.

The request for explanation goes to the manager, in writing and dated. If it goes unanswered, see the escalation method. And if the error affects the allocation itself, see how to challenge a charge allocation.

The link with the building's performance

Individual allocation exposes the building's weaknesses: homes under the roof or on gable ends pay more because they lose more. That is valuable material for a energy retrofit project, and a concrete argument at the general meeting.

With CoproHarmony, statements, reading reports and exchanges with the provider stay together from one year to the next: comparing years becomes possible. Create your space for free.

The same metering logic applies to water, with the same unexplained gaps: spotting excess water use.

Before investing, check the settings: see heating season, temperature and balancing.

One system shapes comfort as much as heating: mechanical ventilation.