As colder weather settles in, University of Michigan Facilities & Operations teams, including Maintenance Services and Utilities staff, are adjusting building systems across campus to meet seasonal heating needs and keep spaces comfortable for students, faculty and staff.
Maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures during Michigan’s changing fall weather can be challenging, particularly when outdoor temperatures fluctuate significantly throughout the day.
Campus buildings use a variety of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Most systems can provide heating and cooling automatically as needed, while some require a manual seasonal changeover and can operate in only one mode at a time.
In buildings that use boilers for heat, the boiler heats water or produces steam, and the building’s heating system uses that heat to warm indoor spaces. Keeping those spaces comfortable requires both maintaining the boiler and ensuring the equipment that distributes heat is ready to operate.
Within Utilities, Outlying Boiler Services operates and maintains heating boilers and large domestic water heaters in buildings across the Ann Arbor campus area. Staff perform repairs, upgrade controls, test boiler safety devices and manage water chemistry to help limit scale buildup and corrosion.
For buildings that require a changeover, switching between heating and cooling involves more than adjusting a thermostat. A thermostat signals that a room needs to be warmer or cooler, but the equipment serving that space must also be set up to deliver the requested heating or cooling. Depending on the system, Maintenance Services and Utilities staff may need to adjust valves, pumps or equipment controls that serve an entire building or multiple areas.
Buildings such as Victor Vaughan, Medical Science I and the Detroit Observatory require manual valve adjustments to switch between heating and cooling. Staff close steam valves in summer and reopen them in fall to provide heat. In some buildings, staff also drain chilled-water coils in late fall to prevent freezing and refill them in spring. Once a building is in heating mode, lowering the thermostat cannot restore chilled-water cooling without another equipment changeover.
Choosing when to switch from cooling to heating requires professional judgment. Switching too early can leave a building without cooling during a warm spell; waiting too long can leave spaces chilly. Staff must balance changing weather conditions with each building’s needs to determine the right time.
What building occupants can expect
During the seasonal transition, occupants may notice variations in indoor temperatures, even within the same building.
A room’s location, exposure to sunlight and changing outdoor conditions can all affect how warm or cool a space feels.
Building operating schedules also play a role. Heating and cooling needs may differ between occupied and unoccupied hours, and system operations may be adjusted accordingly.
Staff across Facilities & Operations work behind the scenes to maintain spaces that support learning, teaching, research and daily campus life. Managing seasonal temperature changes is part of that ongoing commitment to the campus community.
Reporting temperature concerns
Some indoor temperature fluctuations are expected during the seasonal transition. However, students, faculty and staff who experience persistent heating or cooling concerns can contact the F&O Facilities Service Center at 647-2059 or fo-service-center@umich.edu.
When reporting a concern, include the building name, room number, time of day and a brief description of the issue. These details help Maintenance Services staff assess conditions and determine whether adjustments or additional service are needed.
Input from building occupants supports that work, helping staff maintain comfortable campus spaces throughout the seasonal transition.