The heat is on. But it doesn't cost much.

Although service started October 1st, unusually warm weather has kept heating fees down and saved the University $400,000 in heating bills, according to Buildings and Grounds Manager Lawrence R. Kilduff.

But with the return of colder weather, Harvard's 5.5 miles of steam tunnels will carry up to 230,000 pounds of steam daily until winter's end.

Kilduff estimates that $11 million dollars will be spent on heating the University this winter.

The University generally attempts to maintain a temperature of 65 to 68 degrees between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., and 55 degrees at night, said Thomas A. Tribble, associate director of utility operations and systems.

This year, however, the University is considering shifting the peak heating hours forward to accomodate students' late hours.

"I don't ever go to bed before 1 a.m., so 11 p.m. doesn't seem like an appropriate time to turn down the heat," said Thayer resident Daniele M. Schechter '89.

For Justin J. Daniels '89, a Straus resident, mornings are the worst. "Our bathroom is so cold in the morning, it's hard to keep from sticking to the seat."

Not all buildings have been left in the cold.

Boylston Hall has "had a problem with the air system for years," which makes some parts of the building excessively warm, according to Senior Engineer Norman Goodwin.

The building's occupants are steaming mad. "It's 80 degrees right now," said Video Lab technician Karen A. Zukowski '87, "and people come in with their winter jackets."

She said, "The Spanish A people have enough trouble staying awake with their tapes without it being so hot."