Three villages, merged into one city in 1897
The city of Rensselaer didn't exist under that name until 1897, when Greenbush was chartered as a city and renamed, absorbing East Albany and, depending on the source, the village of Bath-on-the-Hudson either in that same merger or in a separate 1902 annexation. That patchwork history -- on land the Dutch had settled as part of the Rensselaerswyck patroonship two and a half centuries earlier -- left the city with housing stock from several distinct building eras rather than one consistent wave.
Heating systems across Rensselaer's merged-village housing stock
A rowhouse in the old Greenbush or East Albany sections can carry a heating system that's been through multiple retrofits since the 1897 merger, while housing in the former Bath-on-the-Hudson area -- closer to the Hudson and the creeks that have periodically flooded it -- often has its own separate upgrade history tied to storm and water damage. Either way, a Capital District winter puts real load on whatever's currently installed.
Heating and cooling across Rensselaer's neighborhoods
Preparing for a system estimate
Mention which of Rensselaer's older neighborhoods your home is in if you know it, and any past flood or storm damage. Have your equipment's approximate age ready.