Heating in the Bronx Steam, oil and gas boilers, firing again
A larger share of Bronx homes burns oil than in any other borough, and a third of the housing predates 1940. We repair and replace the boilers that heat it.
- Based in Staten Island, serving all five boroughs
- English and Russian spoken
- Licensed & insured
- 24/7 emergency service
- Free estimates
- Financing options available
24/7 emergency service
No heat
A steam or hot-water boiler that will not fire, radiators that stay cold or a system losing pressure in winter is an emergency, especially with children or older people in the home. Check the emergency switch is on, then call us.
Local know-how
Heating in the Bronx homes
The Bronx is the city's oil-heat borough. In the Census Bureau's 2024 survey, 17.4 percent of its occupied homes heated with fuel oil, against 5.2 percent in Brooklyn and 2.9 percent on Staten Island. Utility gas, delivered here by Con Edison, heats 54.4 percent and electricity 19.7 percent.
The housing is old and mostly in apartment buildings: 32.5 percent of Bronx homes were built in 1939 or earlier, and 60.9 percent sit in buildings of 20 or more units. One- and two-family houses make up 20.0 percent, clustered in the east and north of the borough. Renters fill 80.3 percent of occupied homes, so most Bronx heat is a landlord’s job.
Common problems in the Bronx
Oil burners across the borough
Oil is common in the house blocks: 29.9 percent of occupied homes in ZIP 10461 (Morris Park, Westchester Square), 24.0 percent in 10469 (Williamsbridge, Baychester) and 24.9 percent on City Island, ZIP 10464. In 10468 (Kingsbridge Heights, Fordham), almost all apartment buildings, it reaches 39.3 percent.
One-pipe steam in prewar buildings
About 75 percent of the city’s multifamily buildings heat with steam, and a third of Bronx housing predates 1940. When vents fail or a pipe loses its pitch, radiators knock and rooms heat unevenly.
More heat complaints than any borough
In the 2025–26 heat season, 311 logged 117,481 heat and hot water complaints from the Bronx, 34.4 percent of the citywide total, though the borough holds 15.4 percent of the city’s homes.
Small buildings on one boiler
Buildings with two to four units hold 17.5 percent of Bronx homes, the owner-landlord stock. One boiler failure leaves every household cold at once, and if heat is not restored after a violation, HPD’s Emergency Repair Program can hire a contractor and bill the owner.
Leaving No. 4 oil behind
DEP told the City Council in 2022 that about 72 percent of the buildings still burning No. 4 oil were in environmental justice communities, especially northern Manhattan and the Bronx, and that the Air Code requires them to move to No. 2 oil or other sources.
Where we see it
- Throgs Neck and Country Club Mostly one- and two-family houses on gas, with 16.1 percent of ZIP 10465 still on oil.
- City Island Waterfront houses, two in three built before 1940, and a quarter heated with oil.
- Williamsbridge and Baychester Houses and small walk-ups: 80.1 percent of ZIP 10469 is in buildings of one to four units.
Rules and paperwork
Heat season in a rented building
From October 1 through May 31, HPD requires apartments to reach 68 degrees in the daytime whenever it is below 55 outside, and 62 degrees overnight in any weather. Hot water at 120 degrees is owed all year, and the Housing Maintenance Code applies this to tenant-occupied two-family houses too.
How a call works in the Bronx
Cellar access
Older boiler rooms are often behind an outside stair or a locked cellar door; have the key or the super’s number ready.
Occupied apartments
Shutdowns are planned with you and tenants are told what to expect, so heat is off as briefly as the work allows.
Estimates are free, and emergencies are answered 24/7.
What is included
The work itself is the same in every borough. See everything our heating service covers.
Heating questions from the Bronx
My oil burner keeps shutting off. What should I check first?
Check that the tank has oil, then press the reset once. Repeated resets can flood the chamber with oil, so if it trips again, call for service.
Is converting from oil to gas worth it in the Bronx?
Gas here comes from Con Edison, so it starts with whether the building can get gas service. We price conversion, burner repair and a heat pump side by side.
A tenant filed a 311 heat complaint. What happens next?
HPD contacts the owner and the tenant and may inspect. If the apartment is below the legal temperature a violation can follow, so restore heat and keep a record of the repair.
Only half my apartment gets warm on steam. Can that be fixed?
Usually. On one-pipe steam the cause is often failed vents or sagging pipe, and new vents and corrected pitch even the heat out without a new boiler.
Free estimate
Get a free estimate in the Bronx
Cold house? Call now. Heating emergencies are answered 24/7 and estimates are free.