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Metro Nashville District Energy System Honored By International District Energy Association; System Earns Association's System-of-the-Year Award

Posted on: Wednesday, 14 June 2006, 15:00 CDT

The International District Energy Association (IDEA) presented its System-of-the-Year Award to Metro Nashville District Energy System and Constellation Energy Project & Services Group Inc. Tuesday at ceremonies during the association's 97th Annual Conference & Trade Show in Nashville.

Given annually, the System-of-the-Year Award is the top honor IDEA can confer on a public or privately owned district energy system. It recognizes exemplary system performance and service furthering the goals of the district energy industry.

Metro Nashville District Energy System was selected the winner by a panel of IDEA-member judges. The judges review and score entries based on a system's energy efficiency; reliability and availability; environmental benefits and compliance strategy; employee safety and training programs; customer relations, service improvements, communications and marketing; and involvement in the community and professional organizations.

"This was a very difficult selection process, with many outstanding candidates vying for this prestigious recognition," said Robert P. Thornton, IDEA's president. "Ultimately the Metro Nashville District Energy System, which was designed, built and is operated and maintained by Constellation Energy Projects & Services Group, was selected. The system hits on all cylinders of the IDEA system-of-the-year-award criteria."

The district energy system in Nashville dates back to the early 1970s. In 2003, the system underwent a transformation. The old waste-to-energy plant was demolished, a new gas-fired central heating and cooling plant was built, and the system got new ownership and a new name: Metro Nashville District Energy System.

The rejuvenated system has had notable achievements: attained a reliability rating of more than 99.998 percent; reduced particulate, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide emissions by more than 90 percent; implemented comprehensive safety programs during demolition of old plant and operation of new, resulting in no lost-time accidents during demolition; attaining a 100 percent customer satisfaction rating; through cost reductions, enabled the purchase and operation of new services and equipment related to waste removal and recycling in Nashville; and produced an educational kiosk in coordination with Martin Luther King Magnet High School's pre-engineering students.

Past winners of IDEA's System-of-the-Year Award include the University of Cincinnati; University of Missouri-Columbia; Seattle Steam Co; Cornell University; Consolidated Edison of New York's Steam Business Unit; Enwave Energy Corp., Toronto; Trigen Energy Baltimore; the University of California, Los Angeles; NRG Energy Center Minneapolis; District Energy St. Paul; and Energy Systems Co., Omaha, Neb.

District energy is an efficient, environmentally responsible method of heating and cooling buildings. District energy systems produce steam, hot water or chilled water at a central plant. The steam or water is then piped underground to individual buildings within a designated area for heating, cooling or use in industrial processes.

With headquarters in Boston, Mass., the 900-member IDEA comprises district heating and cooling executives, managers, engineers, consultants and equipment suppliers from 21 countries. Its core mission is to support the growth and utilization of district energy as a means to conserve fuel and increase energy efficiency to improve the global environment. For more on IDEA, go to www.districtenergy.org.

Source: Business Wire

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