History of District Heating in the United States

| Chronological List of District Heating Systems in the United States |

District Heating in Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore Refrigerating and Heating Company reorganized as the Terminal Freezing and Heating Company in 1911. This company was bought by the Consolidated Gas Electric Light and Power Company of Baltimore in 1928 and was renamed Baltimore Gas and Electric in 1955. BG&E sold the steam system to Carl Avers and Catalyst Thermal Energy for $10 million in March 1985. Catalyst Energy contracted with a new waste-to-energy plant to buy steam for its system. This firm was renamed United Thermal in 1987 and was bought by Trigen in 1993, which in turn was bought by Veolia in 2007 and by Vicinity in 2019.


1938 System Map	1951 System Map

References
1902 "Make Heat and Cold," The Baltimore Sun, July 9, 1902, Page 12.
The Baltimore Refrigerating and Heating Company was incorporated yesterday.

1911 "New Freezing and Heating Company Incorporated," The Baltimore Sun, August 12, 1911, Page 12.
The Terminal Freezing and Heating Company, the successor to the Baltimore Refrigerating and Heating Company, has been incorporated.

1928 "Control Of Property And Business Of Terminal Freezing And Heating Co. Acquired By Consolidated Gas Electric Light And Power Co.," The Evening Sun, July 12, 1928, Page 35
The Terminal Freezing and Heating Company is a Maryland corporation dating from August, 1911, and is a successor of the former Baltimore Refrigerating and Heating Company. Has Supplied About 300 Customers The Terminal Company's plant is located in the vicinity of Eutaw, Wayne and Barre streets. Its heat distribution system comprises about 14,000 lineal feet of main ranging from sixteen inches to six inches in diameter. It has been supplying steam to some 300 customers.

1938 "Description of Production Stations and Their Operation," Bulletin of the National District Heating Association 23(3):127-140 (April 1938)
Page 134: Map of the steam system (as shown above)

1951 District Heating Handbook, Third Edition, National District Heating Association
Pages 16-17: District heating in Baltimore dates from 1901 when Fentress and Midairy obtained a franchise and privileges to use public highways to distribute refrigeration and heat. Heat was supplied during the winter months and refrigeration primarily during warm weather. The system was purchased from a successor company by the Consolidated Gas Electric Light and Power Company of Baltimore in 1928, and since then only steam has been distributed.
Service is furnished to the congested commercial and semi-industrial section of downtown Baltimore. It is served by two principal plants. One was erected especially for steam service; the other is a reserve electric plant but is used primarily to supply steam to the district heating system. These plants are supplemented by several small plants which are used during peak load periods and for reserve.
Service to the commercial district is supplied through a low-pressure distribution system with pressures ranging between 8 and 20 psi. This system is operated eight months during the year. A single high-pressure line operating at a minimum of 125 psi is installed through the approximate center of the low-pressure district and connects the two plants. If furnishes the high-pressure requirements of the larger buildings and industrial customers throughout the year. Branch mains from this high-pressure line supply the semi-industrial area.
Steam is used principally for space heating but process steam is supplied for cooking, water heating, brewing, and the manufacture of clothing, hats, medicine and candy. It is also used to supply the many requirements in hospitals and hotels.
Most of the important buildings in downtown Baltimore are served, including the main offices, station and yards of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, the Medical, Dental, Pharmacy and Law Colleges of the University of Maryland, and the University Hospital. The service which has been vigorously promoted, enjoys a wide demand and over one thousand customers were using it in 1949. Revenue increased 188 per cent during the sixteen years preceding 1949.
The distribution system covers an area where steam can be supplied economically and no expansion of this territory is contemplated for the near future.
The dual distribution system in Baltimore permits lower pressures in the main distribution system and makes it possible to turn off the low-pressure lines during the non-heating season. The much smaller high-pressure system supplies high pressure and year round requirements.
Page 134: Map of the steam system (as shown above)

1985 "BG&E finishes sale of city steam system"' The Baltimore Sun, March 2, 1985 Page 30 | Part 2 |
The new owners of the system plan to build a connection to the Baltimore Refuse Energy Systems Company's trash-to-energy plant on the east side of Russell street, which will sell steam to the new company under a long-term contract. The BRESCO plant, which went into operation last September, is a few blocks west of the two steam generating plants BG&E sold. Mr. Avers said the new company expected to be getting steam from BRESCO "within about six months." The two generating plants are the Terminal Plant, which has six boilers, and the Spring Gardens Plant, which has eight. Both are in South Baltimore.

1986 "Stadium move to Camden Yards would force 20 firms to relocate," The Baltimore Sun, December 6, 1986, Page 8

1987 "Steam Firm Changes Name," The Baltimore Sun, July 21, 1987, Page 36
Baltimore Steam Co. has changed it name to Baltimore Thermal Energy Corp.

1993 "French Buy United Thermal," The Baltimore Sun, December 8, 1993, Page 18D.
United Thermal Corp., parent company of the Baltimore Thermal Energy Corp., has been sold to the French-owned Trigen Energy Corp. The purchase price was not disclosed. The local operation, which provides steam to various buildings in Baltimore, will now be known as Trigen-Baltimore Energy Corp..