Base board heating

[Brian Sherman]

I have a duplex I purchased in a bank foreclosure last November. It's a solid building with good bones except one thing - no furnaces and it has base board heating. Property is in a college town in Michigan, so the rental market is strong. Each duplex is huge 3 BD/ 2 ba and approx 1400 sq ft. My issue is electric bills as they run 350/ month for each side. Does this seems ridiculous? Any ideas on what's involved and if it's worth it to convert to furnaces? An additional benefit would be the ability to add central air as well in the process. Thanks! Brian

[Chris Collins]

@Brian Sherman

I am an HVAC contractor from Cleveland.

Adding forced air would be very expensive due to needing ductwork to be run throughout the property.

A more cost effective option would be to install mini split heat pumps. You would need to save the electric baseboard as auxiliary heat, because the heat pump won't cut it when it's below 30 degrees, however, using a heat pump should reduce your utility costs. As a bonus, the mini split would also provide AC.

I also agree with @David Dachtera it would be a worth while investment to sub meter and have the tenant pay utilities.