Works in Progress
Summary
Since 1882, Manhattan has delivered steam into the homes and businesses of its citizens. It is used for: pressing linens at The Waldorf Astoria; cleaning crockery and heating food in restaurants; washing clothes at dry cleaners; sterilizing medical equipment at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital; by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to control the humidity levels and temperatures around its artwork. And it is used by Manhattanites, in both iconic buildings and regular apartment blocks, to heat their space and water.
Steam functions like any other utility: produced centrally, metered, and delivered into homes and businesses through a 105-mile-long grid of pipework. Like electricity, sewage, and water, it plays an integral part in the daily operation of the city. Steam enabled the growth of Manhattan, providing efficient heating to an increasingly vertical city. Many other cities have adopted district-level heating systems, but very few use steam to distribute that energy. Why does some infrastructure survive while others become obsolete?
Continue Reading
#News#MemberNewsIDEA#ConsolidatedEdisonofNewYork#DistrictHeating