Remote Visibility and Control is a Game Changer for Co-ops and Condos

Name: Karen Bell, Co-op Board Secretary

• The Building: A mid-size co-op building in New York City
• The Problem: Heat complaints, uneven temperatures, and outdated manual controls
• The Solution: Runwise smart heating system with in-unit sensors and remote controls
• The Impact: Drastic drop in complaints, improved resident comfort, and remote access for easier management

The Challenge:

In cities like New York, uneven heating in multifamily buildings is normal. For Karen Bell, board secretary of her co-op, it was also a weekly headache. Karen says, "The heat in the building was very uneven. Some people were suffocating, others were freezing. And the solution used to be: go down to the basement and just crank up the heat. That wasn't sustainable."

Like many older buildings, theirs relied on a boiler system that had to be manually adjusted, often by trial and error. It wasn’t just inefficient, it was exhausting. "I was constantly fielding complaints and running down to the basement. It was a full-time job I didn’t sign up for," she says.

The Solution:

After installing Runwise’s smart heating control system, everything changed. Sensors were placed inside apartments to track real-time temperatures, and Karen could now monitor and adjust the system remotely through a mobile app. "Now, I get fewer complaints. I don’t have to run to the basement anymore."

She recalls a moment that underscored just how far they'd come: "I was at a meeting uptown on the Upper East Side, and the temperature suddenly dropped back at the building. I opened the app and adjusted the heat right there in the middle of the meeting. The guy next to me looked over and said, 'You’re kidding.' I said, 'Nope, I’m managing my building from across town.'"

The Results:

• Fewer resident complaints: With temperatures stabilized, Karen no longer fields a stream of calls and emails.
• Better comfort: With sensors inside units, the system adjusts based on real data, not guesswork.
• Remote control: Adjusting the heat is as simple as opening an app.