Where Albia Is
Albia is the southeast corner of Troy, where NY Route 66 comes in from North Greenbush and runs up Pawling Avenue toward the Eastside.
It started as a stop on a trolley line. The Troy and New England Railway, an electric trolley, ran from Albia out to Averill Park from about 1895 to 1925, following the Wynantskill Creek and then West Sand Lake Road. A city housing plan from the 1990s listed Albia with the highest owner-occupancy rate in Troy at the time.
Albia Homes by the Numbers
Albia is not one age. The older blocks around Albia Avenue, Plum Avenue and Excelsior Avenue share a census tract with the Pawling Avenue side of the Eastside, where most homes were built before 1940. Farther out, toward Winter Street, Brookview Avenue and Wynantskill Way, the housing gets newer.
The census tract along Winter Street and Brookview Avenue has a median build year of 1978, with about 42 percent of homes built between 1950 and 1979 and about 13 percent after 2000. About half are single-family detached houses, and about 63 percent are owner-occupied. About two thirds heat mainly with gas, about a quarter with electricity, and about 7 percent still with fuel oil.
What That Means for Your System
Newer Albia houses from the 1960s and 1970s were more likely built with ductwork and a forced-air furnace. That makes central air or a ducted heat pump a simpler add than in the old city. The catch is that original ducts from that era were often sized for heat, not cooling, and can leak at the joints. We check the ducts along with the equipment.
Homes still on fuel oil have a choice when the old boiler or furnace gives out: another oil system, a switch to gas where a line is available, or a heat pump with or without the old system as backup. NYSERDA's heat pump program is aimed at homes heating with oil, propane or electric baseboard, and its site has the current terms.
Albia furnace, boiler or AC? Call.
Call (838) 884-0024Albia Streets and Landmarks
We cover Albia Avenue, Pawling Avenue, Winter Street, Plum Avenue, Excelsior Avenue, Griswold Avenue, Brookview Avenue, Parmenter Avenue and Wynantskill Way. Sacred Heart Church and Sacred Heart School are neighborhood landmarks, and Kinloch Park, a small city park, sits at the end of Parmenter Avenue off Spring Avenue. The city's hydrant flushing schedule groups Albia with Sycaway and the east side of Pawling Avenue out to the city line.
Albia Questions
My house has its original 1970s ductwork. Can it handle central air?
Often it can, but ducts from that era were sized for heat and may be too small or leaky for cooling. We check the duct sizes, the return air and the joints before recommending a system.
I still heat with oil. What are my options when the system dies?
Another oil boiler or furnace, a switch to gas if a gas line reaches the house, or a cold-climate heat pump, with or without the oil system kept as backup. Each has trade-offs we can walk through.
Is it worth replacing a furnace that still runs but is 25 years old?
Age alone is not the deciding factor. Rust in the heat exchanger area, repeated repairs, flame sensor and igniter trouble, and rising gas use all point toward replacement. A furnace in good shape can keep going.