List Only

When an apartment complex says "central AC/heating" what does that mean? Are all rooms the same all the time?

I am going to be moving into an apartment complex that has "central heating" and "central A/C". Does this mean that I can't control what temperature my room is, and that the managers change the temperature for all the rooms in the building? People who reviewed the apartment say that it gets too hot or too cold easily, so this makes me think that I don't have control over it. Is that what "Central heating" and "Centrals A/C" mean?

Public Comments

1. that means it has a built in airconditioning and heating units all over the apartment. instead of having window units. tempature will be the same just in your apartment. you decide the tempature.
2. Don't worry - you can control your own heat & AC. Central heating and Central A/C just means that your home/apartment has one thermostat that you can use to control the Heating/AC units to maintain the desired temperature. (A home without Central Heating/AC might just have ceiling fans or a window-mounted AC unit for cooling; or space heaters or independently controlled heaters for heat).
3. most places you get to control the thermostat for your apartment. but the only way to find out for sure is to contact the apartment complex.
4. Central Ac/heating is when each room has it's own registers (vents) to carry the hot/cold air in from a large air conditioner unit on the outside of the building. (The opposite of central air would be one of those air conditioners you stick in a window and it only cools off one room.) If your electric bill is separate from your rent, then you control your own air. If the electric bill is included in the price of your rent, then your landlord may have control over the temp. Definitely something to find out before you sign anything.
5. Getting too hot or too cold is probably due to tenants not turning off the control in their unit when they have a window open. If the central A/C has to try to cool off your entire city when a window is open, it will kick into high gear. Same in reverse for heating. It also depends on where you live in the building. If the central A/C is on the roof and you are one floor away, you will get better temps and more stable temps. Bottom floor you may not get anything. Lastly, central systems tend to produce mold and mildew. Personally I would not live or rent in such a building. Get a window unit. Cheaper, more efficient and when it does get noisy, they help block noise so you can sleep.