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History Of District Energy Technology
District heating traces its roots as far back as the popular
hot water-heated baths and greenhouses of ancient Rome. District
systems gained prominence in Europe during the Middle Ages
and Renaissance, with one system in France in continuous operation
since the 14th century. Across the Atlantic, the U.S. Naval
Academy in Annapolis began steam district heating service
in 1853.
Although
these and numerous other systems have operated over the centuries,
the first commercially successful district heating system
was launched in Lockport, N.Y., in 1877 by American hydraulic
engineer Birdsill Holly, considered the founder of district
heating.
 In
his day, Holly was widely known as an inventor and entrepreneur.
He held 150 patents during his lifetime, second in number
only to his friend Thomas Edison. Most of Holly's creations
involved water, pumps and power. They included the fire hydrant
and first municipal system of firefighting, the water-pressure
gauge, the water tap, the expansion joint and, of course,
commercial central steam heating.
With
the 1877 installation of the Lockport district heating system,
the Holly Steam Combination Co. was born. Over the next five
years, the company implemented nearly 50 systems, including
one that still serves downtown Denver today.
In
1882, the business was acquired by American District Steam
Co., whose investors had earlier purchased the rights for
the Holly system in New York. They went on to sell hundreds
more district heating systems throughout the world over the
next 80 years. (American District Steam was one of the first
members of the National District Heating Association, represented
at the 1909 convention by W.J. Kline and C.R. Bishop.)
Holly's
memory is kept alive today not only through his many inventions,
but also at a National Mechanical Engineering Heritage Site
in Lockport. Near the Canal Museum in the Lockport Locks complex,
there is a historical marker noting the location of the old
Holly Manufacturing Co., which built products using his many
inventions. Limited ruins of the firm, which once employed
500 people, remain along the north side of the canal.
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