If there is anything that is predicable about Minnesota weather, it is its unpredictability. This spring we have had some extreme temperature changes that may have had your building calling for heating and cooling on the same day. One of the advantages of your District Energy St. Paul service is that we provide hot water and chilled water year-round. Depending on the building’s internal mechanical configuration, you may be able to provide simultaneous heating and cooling, switch quickly between heating and cooling, or manage a more manual one time seasonal switchover. If you have a new building team or have difficulties with seasonal switchover please contact 651-297-8955 or info@districtenergy.com for assistance.
This year, District Energy is celebrating 40 years of service. We are thrilled to commemorate this milestone by looking back at the history and future of the system with the customers, businesses, and community that make it all possible. We hope that you can join us at our customer appreciation event to kick off our customer survey and connect with our team. More information on registration is below.
Please join us in welcoming John Fick into his new position as senior account manager. You will be seeing John downtown with our team working with customers and visiting buildings. John has already proven to be a valuable asset to District Energy, and we are excited to have him on board. You can learn even more about John in the feature below.
As always, we are here to answer questions and offer support, please reach out at 651-297-8955 or info@districtenergy.com
Sincerely,
Steve Rambeck
Director of Business Development
Upcoming Customer Appreciation Event
We appreciate you! District Energy will be hosting our annual customer appreciation lunch on May 17, 2023 with optional plant tours for those who are interested. Our customer appreciation events are a great opportunity for our team to thank customers for your continued trust in our services and give folks a chance to connect with the District Energy team. We hope to see you there to celebrate the warmer weather and our 40th year of service!
For more information about the event please email Madalyn.johnson@districtenergy.com
Welcome John Fick
In April the District Energy customer service team welcomed John Fick as our senior account manager. John brings a breadth of experience in mechanical systems, project management, and customer relations.
John has already began meeting folks downtown and making visits to customers. He said, “Working in the downtown community is really special. I look forward to the opportunity to help our customers with mechanical design solutions and answer any questions they have with regards to their connection and building efficiencies.”
Prior to joining Ever-Green, John worked for Horwitz as a project manager and he brings 15 years of experience working for mechanical contractors and manufacturing facilities. His work focused on a variety of mechanical projects ranging from food processing, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, technology, retail, health care, and government. John holds a degree in construction management from University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Benchmarking Reminder
The City of Saint Paul’s Energy Benchmarking deadline is approaching on June 1, 2023. If you have not already linked your customer portal account with the Energy Star Portfolio Manager to automatically transfer your building’s energy usage data, we would be happy to help.
If you or someone from your building went through the process of linking with the Energy Star Portfolio Manager last year, then you should not have any further steps and your data will automatically transfer over to Energy Star.
If you would like assistance or have questions about this process please reach out to our team at portalhelp@districtenergy.com
See the City’s benchmarking ordinance webpage for more information about reporting requirements.
CAT Hydrogen-Fired CHP Demonstration Project
District Energy St. Paul will be hosting a demonstration project in cooperation with Caterpillar, Inc. (CAT) and the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy as well as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The project involves siting a packaged combined heat and power (CHP) unit supplied by CAT that is capable of producing 2 MWe and providing waste heat in the form of useable thermal energy to greatly improve the efficiency of the process. The CHP unit will be fueled by hydrogen and natural gas with a goal of proving the use of hydrogen as a viable fuel source in such applications. The project is in the early stages of development and installation and initiation of data collection is expected to occur in late 2023 and continuing into 2024.
Cooling System Maintenance and Efficiency
As we move into cooling season, it is a good time to revisit scheduled and preventative maintenance as well as system settings that can keep your building systems running efficiently, extend equipment life, and help to avoid unexpected downtime and costly repairs. The District Energy team has developed a list of recommendations to help keep your cooling system running smoothly.
As you transition to the cooling season, it is a good time to register for the District Energy Customer Portal or to revisit your building’s trends in the portal. In the portal you have the opportunity to see energy metrics down to 15-minute increments and track trends in usage to maximize efficiency. If you need help with registration or anything portal related please reach out to our team at portalhelp@districtenergy.com
Biological Care for Your Chilled Water Loop
Water Treatment for Your Cooling Loop
Efficiency Gains with Cooling Start Up
Beyond these tools, our team is here to help you with questions about your cooling services, please reach out to our team for assistance at 651-297-8955 or info@districtenergy.com
