ABOUT US
District Energy Corporation meets heating and cooling needs of nearly 4 million square feet of building space in the Lincoln, Nebraska, community. DEC has six district energy systems, each with a centralized plant where thermal energy is produced and distributed to its customers through underground networks of insulated piping. These systems use 10%-15% less energy than the conventional heating and cooling systems traditionally installed in buildings today. Nearly all of DEC's district energy systems have a reliability factor of 100%, with the lowest reliability factor being 99.94%.
HISTORY
District Energy Corporation is a nonprofit joint entity whose mission is to provide low-cost, reliable, and efficient thermal energy services. In 1989, the City of Lincoln and Lancaster County formed the DEC.
Initially, DEC only provided service to the County-City building and Lancaster County Jail. Today, the scope of DEC’s operation has expanded to include the Nebraska State Capitol, Nebraska State Office building, Nebraska State Administration office, Hall of Justice building, Court House Plaza building, K Street Records facility, 605 building, 825 building, Lancaster County Adult Detention facility, Pinnacle Bank Arena, Canopy Lofts, Hyatt Hotel/Hobson Place Condominiums, Oscar Projects, The Railyard, Hudl, Canopy Row, Canopy Park, Lincoln Electric System’s Operations Center, and the Nebraska State Penitentiary.
1989
District Energy Corporation formed
1991
County-City Thermal Facility commissioned
1999
State Boiler Plant commissioned
2012
County Adult Detention Facility Thermal Facility commissioned
2013
West Haymarket Central Utility Plant commissioned
2019
LES Operations Center Thermal Facility commissioned
2019
Nebraska State Penitentiary Thermal Facility commissioned
Facilities
County-City Thermal Facility
This plant provides heating and cooling services to the County-City building, Hall of Justice, and other County-City facilities in downtown Lincoln Nebraska. The system uses a combination of chillers, dual fuel boilers, and thermal ice storage. The thermal ice storage helps maintain reduced electrical peaks. During the summer, the chillers build ice at night. From 2 pm to 8 pm, the chillers are shut down and ice is melted for cooling. Service began in 1991 and currently serves approximately 630,000 square feet.
State Boiler Plant
This plant uses dual fuel boilers to produce steam that heats the Nebraska State Capitol, Nebraska State Office building, and Nebraska State Administrative office. Service began in 1999 and currently serves approximately 1,000,000 square feet.
County Adult Detention Facility Thermal Plant
This plant provides heating and cooling services to the Lancaster County Adult Detention Facility. It uses a geothermal well field and water-to-water heat pumps to provide chilled and hot water. Utilizing a geothermal well field is a green practice and allows DEC to add, store, and remove heat from the earth to provide more efficient thermal services. Standby generation (5.4 megawatts) provides backup electrical service for the detention facility and plant while operating in either isolation from or parallel to the electrical grid. Service began in 2012 and currently serves approximately 290,000 square feet.
West Haymarket
Thermal Facility
This plant provides heating and cooling services to customers of the West Haymarket Joint Public Agency, which includes Pinnacle Bank Arena, Hudl, and additional commercial, retail, and residential space, through an energy services agreement between DEC and the Joint Public Agency. The plant has chillers, cooling towers, and both gas-fired and electric resistance boilers. Service began in September 2013 and currently serves approximately 1,332,000 square feet.
Lincoln Electric System Operations Thermal Facility
This plant began providing heating and cooling services to the LES Operations Center in March 2019. Similar to the County Adult Detention Facility Thermal Plant, this plant uses a geothermal well field and water-to-water heat pumps to provide chilled and hot water. Utilizing a geothermal well field is a green practice and allows DEC to add, store, and remove heat from the earth to provide more efficient thermal services. Diesel generators (nearly 1.5 megawatts in total) are available to provide backup power for the LOC and the plant while operating in either isolation from or parallel to the grid. The facility currently serves approximately 400,000 square feet.
Nebraska State Penitentiary Thermal Facility
This plant provides heating and cooling services to the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Nebraska State Penitentiary. The penitentiary’s previous plant consisted of outdated coal-fired boilers and aging chillers and cooling towers. The new facility uses higher-efficiency, dual fuel steam generators to provide high-pressure space heating steam and process steam for laundry. New high-efficiency, magnetic bearing chillers and cooling towers were installed to provide chilled water. Diesel generators provide backup power in isolation from the electrical grid. Service began in December 2019 and currently serves approximately 440,000 square feet.
Can DEC Provide Me Service?
District Energy Corporation is always looking to expand. Whether you are remodeling, building a new development, or needing to update your current cooling and heating systems, you may be eligible to receive thermal service from DEC.
DEC can provide service to public and private entities, but there are several factors that must be considered first. These include location, heating and cooling loads, and projected costs. A feasibility study may need to be conducted to determine cost-effectiveness for both DEC and you, the potential customer. Ultimately, we want to ensure that DEC is the best option for you.
If you are interested in receiving thermal energy services from District Energy Corporation, contact DEC Project Manager, Nick Wischhof, at deccustomerservice@les.com.
