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Chronological List of District Heating
Systems in the United States |
Edward F. Gwynn was employed by the Delaware Electric Light and Power Company when he developed a hot water district heating system that was installed in 1900. This system appears to be similar to the earlier Yaryan systems, although Gwynn intended for his system to serve entire towns, not just portions of it.
In 1901 he formed the Gwynn Central Station Heating Company to develop these systems in other cities. He sought franchises in several communities and received them in Wilmington and Bucyrus,Ohio. He delayed installation of the system in the latter city due to the imminent arrival of natural gas from local fields, which he felt would diminish his system's economic viability. No other systems were ever installed and the Central Station Heating Company was dissolved in 1904.
Gwynne was one of the founders of the National District Heating Association at their organization meeting in Toledo, Ohio on July 15, 1909.
References
1900 "The
Bellefontaine Republican," February 23, 1900, Page 2.
The City Council of Delaware have granted a franchise to Ed. Gwynn, of
that city, for the use of the streets and highways of the city, to put in
a system of hot water heating for the entire city. The plant is to
be complete next fall. Mr. Gwynn has already made several contracts
for heating offices and business blocks.
1900 "Hot Water to Heat a Whole Ohio Town," Plain Dealer, March 11, 1900, Page 17.
1900 "Hot
Water," Richwood Gazette, March 15, 1900, Page 3.
To Heat the Whole City of Delaware.
1900 "Hot
Water for a Whole Town," Scientific American Supplement 40(1275):
20434-20435 (June 9, 1900)
In Delaware, O., light, heat and power are to be supplied to the town from
one central station. The Delaware Electric Light and Power Company’s plant
will shortly afford all this. This system was inaugurated by Edward F.
Gwynn, an electrician, whose franchise embraces every right and privilege
to all highways for the complete construction of a hot water system of
heating, to be utilized in any locality. The era of stoves and furnaces is
about to pass into history there, and every citizen will be supplied with
heat at no greater expense than that paid for coal or wood. The hot water
is supplied through a maze of pipes and radiators, and finally returns to
the central station to be reheated, and again started on its warmth-giving
journey.
In all manufacturing nowadays, the utilization of by-products, hitherto
thrown away, marks a distinct advance. In the making of electricity,
either for light or power, where the current is produced from dynamos
driven by steam engines, there results a large amount of waste steam-the
exhaust steam which is usually thrown away. This steam still contains more
than three-quarters of the heat originally imparted to it by the coal
burned under the boilers. In this hot water system for the entire town,
the greatest by-product of the electric light and power business becomes a
source of great income. The steam is first used in the engines, after
which it passes as exhaust through a feed water heater, which heats the
fresh supply of boiler water. The feed water absorbs only about 10 per
cent. of the exhaust steam, the remainder being then passed to a large
steel heater of small tubes, surrounded by water.
1900 "Hot
Water System," The Cleveland Leader, November 14, 1900, Page
8.
Delaware puts its new enterprise into operation is a great success.
1901 Annual
Statistical Report, by Ohio Secretary of State
Page 577: Gwynn Central Station Heating Company, Delaware,
incorporated May 8, 1901, Capital $30,000 [The company was dissolved
on April 1, 1904.]
1901 "Gwynn
Central Station Heating Company," The Journal Republican,
June 26, 1901, Page 5.
E.F. Gwynn, of the Gwynn Central Station Heating Company, of Delaware,
appeared before Council Friday night to formally accept the franchise
granted his company two weeks ago to construct a hot water heating system
in Wilmington.
1901 "The
Gwynn Central Station Heating Company," Metal Worker, Plumber
and Steam Fitter 55(19):54 (November 9, 1901)
The Gwynn Central Station Heating Company of Delaware, Ohio, have sent us
a copy of a pamphlet devoted to a description of the Gwynn system of
heating. The publication contains half-tone engravings of the electric
light, heat and power plant in Delaware, Ohio, showing the pumps for
distributing hot water through some two miles of street mains, together
with pictures of many buildings which are heated from the street mains. It
is pointed out that no difficulty has been found in securing 15 cents per
square foot of radiation for heating during the year, owing to the ideal
service rendered and the absence of labor in handling the fuel and of dust
from disposing of the ashes. The advantages of the hot water system are
dwelt upon in detail. Special stress is laid on the comfort derived from
the even temperature maintained in buildings so heated, owing to the
attention at the central station, where the water is heated in accordance
with the requirements of the weather and circulated at a higher
temperature when. the weather is extremely cold, or at a lower temperature
when the weather is milder, so that the householder has little or nothing
to attend to.
1901 "Hot
Water for Public Heating Systems," by C. W. Niles, The
Improvement Bulletin 25:10 (December 14, 1901)
The plant of the Delaware Electric Light, Heat and Power Company, at
Delaware, Ohio, has for four years furnished heat from a central station
as above described (among them being one of the large buildings of the
Ohio Wesleyan University). It has in that time encountered extreme cold
weather, reaching twenty-nine degrees below zero, and yet its patrons have
been entirely satisfied and use no other heat. During the past year, under
the supervision of the Gwynn Central Station Heating Company of Delaware,
Ohio, this system was extended to over two miles of mains, taking in the
City hall, with 7.500 feet of radiation, through eighty-seven radiators,
Hotel Donavin, court house and county jail-these being among the largest
of ninety-five consumers who were on the lines during the winter of
1900-1901. The Gwynn system gives a uniform temperature in all buildings
at all times, night and day, without attention from the occupant, and with
the use of thermostats or other regulators, and, if properly equipped with
radiators, can be maintained in all varying temperatures within two per
cent.
1902 "Gwynn
Heating Plant Will Not Be Built Just Yet," The Bucyrus Evening
Telegraph, June 12, 1902, Page 4.
John W. Gwynn says the prospects for building the Gwynn Hot Water Heating
plant are all right D as far as financial encouragement is concerned, but
that owing to the possible coming of the natural gas company into the
Bucyrus field he prefers to wait to give our people a chance to try
natural gas if it comes, or to see if the plant is really going to be
built, before he advocates the further expenditure of cash for the heating
plant. At present he has had sufficient financial encouragement to cause
him to believe the company could easily be organized and the heating plant
established, but with natural gas there would be a popular idea that it
was cheaper and it would be difficult to make people believe in the
heating plant in preference to the natural gas.
1908 20th
century history of Delaware County, Ohio and representative citizens
Page 146-147: The Delaware Electric Light,
Heat and Power Company was incorporated
March 4, 1890.
In 1900 a heating plant was installed to serve the citizens of Delaware
with hot-water heat. The same year a franchise for the use of the
streets was secured. The company now has about two miles of underground
mains, and supplies heat to about 185 customers, some of whom are located
a mile from the plant.
1911 "E. F. Gwynn's Life Closed," The Daily Journal Herald, February 7, 1911, Page 5.
1958 "Wants
to Drop Heating Service," Telegraph-Forum, December 23,
1958, Page 7.
Columbus & Southern Ohio Electric Co has asked the Public Utilities
Commission’s approval to abandon its hot water and steam beating services
in Delaware.
The company said it has no hot water customers left and that only Ohio
Wesleyan University is currently using steam heat service. It said losses
have increased since 1950 to a high of $78,253 in 1957 on such service.
1959 Case
No. 28,247 - Application of Columbus & Southern Ohio Electric
Company to Abandon Hot Water and Steam Heating in City of Delaware.
The Commission authorized the abandonment of this ubilty service.
March 11, 1959
© 2025 Morris A. Pierce