District energy systems are an alternative to conventional in-building heating and cooling equipment. From a centralized plant, large volumes of steam heat and chilled water are produced and transported through an underground system of pipes to individual buildings where it is used for space heating and cooling, domestic hot water heating, and humidification.
Highly efficient, district energy requires less fuel to generate thermal energy than onsite HVAC systems, and eliminates the need for equipment that is costly to install, operate, and maintain, in each individual building.