District Energy - 2008 4th Quarter

The Second 25 Years:

Defying the odds, gaining momentum

The International District Energy Association is celebrating its 100th anniversary year. In each issue of District Energy magazine during this year we are dedicating space to the past 100 years of informing, connecting and advancing its members and the industry.

Association minutes point out that it lost just one member company during the Great Depression, an incredible feat given the trying times. That staying power has been evidenced throughout the organization’s history and is a trait we believe positions us to continue to make a difference in the energy industry.

This issue’s focus is 1935-1959, an incredible time in history. During these 25 years, the association and its members endured the end of the Great Depression, World War II and the Korean War, ultimately seeing the beginning of the Space Age in the late 1950s.

IDEA was founded as the National District Heating Association (NDHA) on July 15, 1909, in Toledo, Ohio. IDEA and its predecessors have held an annual conference every year since, except for 1918 when the conference was not held because of World War I. The April 1959 50th anniversary issue of District Heating magazine contains associationandindustryhistory.It is available at www.districtenergy- digital.org/districtenergy/1959april.

NDHA 1935-1959: The Second 25 Years Presidents (now known as chairs) hailed from: Akron, Ohio – 1x New York, N. Y. – 3x Baltimore, Md. – 1x Philadelphia, Pa. – 4x Boston, Mass. – 2x Pittsburgh, Pa. – 2x Dayton, Ohio – 1x Rochester, N. Y. – 2x Detroit, Mich. – 4x St. Louis, Mo. – 2x Duluth, Minn. – 2x Toledo, Ohio – 1x

Annual conference locations:

Asheville, N.C. – 1x Lookout Mountain, Tenn. – 1x Atlantic City, N.J. – 1x New York, N. Y. – 1x Baltimore, Md. – 1x Philadelphia, Pa. – 1x Chicago, Ill. – 1x Pittsburgh, Pa. – 3x Cleveland, Ohio – 1x St. Louis, Mo. – 1x Dayton, Ohio – 1x Skytop, Pa. – 2x Detroit, Mich. – 2x Swampscott, Mass. – 1x French Lick, Ind. – 2x Virginia Beach, Va. – 1x Grand Rapids, Mich. – 1x White Sulphur Springs, W.V. – 1x Hot Springs, Va. – 1x Williamsburg, Va. – 1x

An Industry Frontrunner With Longtime Customers IDEA-member NRG Energy Center San Francisco traces its district heating system’s roots to 1885, when its predecessors began operation of an off-site boiler plant for a nearby hotel. The main plant was built in 1924 and has some notable longtime customers:

The Flood Building – 870 Market. Built 1904; survived 1906 earthquake and fire but underwent restoration as needed in 1907. The Phelan Building – 760 Market. Rebuilt 1908 after earthquake and fire. St. Boniface Church – 137 Golden Gate. Rebuilt 1908 after earthquake and fire. Old St. Mary's Church – 660 California. Renovated 1909 after earthquake and fire. The Olympic Club – 524 Post. Rebuilt 1912 after earthquake and fire. Orpheum Theater – 1192 Market. Constructed 1926. Russ Building – 235 Montgomery. Constructed 1927. Grace Cathedral – 1190 California. Constructed 1928.

These members of NDHA’s executive committee in 1938 likely played a role in the association’s continued operation in spite of the Great Depression. In June 1935, the financial committee reported that the financial condition of the association “is much improved,” with a net cash position of $2,540.56. The executive committee then approved the 1935-1936 budget, which projected total revenue of $9,175 and total expenses of $7,340. The committee expressed its desire to continue building a surplus, as long as it could be done “without curtailing the service rendered to its members by the Association.”