Latest news with #steamheat
CBS News
03-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Residents in Detroit neighborhood sue Detroit Thermal over controversial steam project
Many residents in Detroit's Lafayette Park neighborhood have been fed up for months over controversial plans surrounding Detroit Thermal's plan to dig in their neighborhood to expand their steam vents. And this ongoing battle between residents living in a collection of townhomes on historic Detroit land and Detroit Thermal continued Wednesday at a Historic District Commission meeting Wednesday afternoon. The Historic District Community held a special meeting regarding this controversy.. That meeting went on for over 5 hours. Eventually it was decided this project from Detroit Thermal can continue but with many guidelines. Neighbors living in the nearly 200 townhomes in the Lafayette Park Historic District have filed a lawsuit with Detroit Thermal over plans to use the historic district's property as a throughway while connecting the 1300 Lafayette East Cooperative building across the street to steam heat. Sam Schaefer, who lives in the Lafayette Park Historic District said, "The messaging we've gotten from the company has been like this is the only way or we've researched all the options and tearing up your neighborhood must be done." A Detroit Thermal spokesman said in a statement in part- "This is a baseless and frivolous lawsuit selfishly filed by a few misguided Lafayette Park residents who seem determined to prevent 600 of their neighbors at 1300 East Lafayette Cooperative from receiving safe, reliable, clean and affordable heat in time for winter," The Lawsuit names three major concerns- That this work would be a Threat to a National Historic Landmark, that Detroit Thermal has no legal right to access and work on this property, and that this project would serve no benefit to the historic right all while serving an external property. Schaefer said, "The people in this neighborhood want this neighborhood to continue to work the way it does cooperatively and the people in that building need heat and we want both of those things to happen. And Detroit Thermal is dividing us with a wedge saying the only way this can happen is by pinning us against each other." I spoke with Angela Fortino, a resident here who was at the meeting this evening and she told me this decision by the HDC is very upsetting and now it's up to her and everyone of her neighbors to make sure that Detroit Thermal is staying within those guidelines.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Hefty retrofit bill likely as Enwave plans shut down of more London steam lines
Moving impacted city buildings off steam heat comes with likely $5M price tag: report Image | London District Energy says portions of their steam system thst serve London's downtown core will be decommissioned. Caption: London District Energy says portions of their steam system that serves London's downtown core will be decommissioned. (Andrew Lupton/CBC) The City of London will likely face millions in retrofitting costs as Enwave looks to decommission more of its downtown steam infrastructure, including a line which heats city hall. Enwave, which owns London District Energy (LDE), told the municipality at the end of April that it would shut down most of its medium-pressure steam lines downtown by Oct. 31, 2026. In a report to next week's infrastructure and corporate services committee meeting, city staff said the reason was that sections of the line were becoming increasingly unreliable despite regular maintenance and "could present safety concerns in the future." City councillors will vote to receive the report for information. The move will impact four city properties, including City Hall, Centennial Hall, the Central Library, and Museum London, the report said. Twelve customers overall will be affected, Enwave said on its website. The Centennial House apartment building will also be impacted. This follows the company's announcement last year that it will decommission a separate low-pressure steam line in the core. It's set to shut down by the end of this month, impacting 17 customers, including the Grand Theatre and the city-owned J. Allyn Taylor building at 267 Dundas St. Converting just the J. Allyn Taylor building from steam to in-building boilers cost at least $810,000, the city said. The Grand Theatre faced a similar estimate, and council voted in August to give the venue $400,000 from the Municipal Accommodation Tax fund to help offset the cost. "Based on our experience, it is likely the total cost to address this issue will exceed $5 million for all affected buildings," city staff write in the report. "As the work to provide an alternative to steam heating is unplanned and not included as part of the adopted 2024-2027 multi-year budget, a source of financing will need to be identified for council approval to support the cost of this work." Converting city hall from steam to hot water heating, or hydronic heating, would be difficult, the report says. Doing the same to Centennial Hall would be very difficult, as steam is used directly in the building's heating coils. City staff say Enwave is assessing the installation of temporary boilers during the notice period until October 2026. One could be located on the west side of city hall, which sits near the end of a steam line branch. Feasible options, timelines, and cost estimates will come after a detailed impact assessment. CBC News reached out to Enwave for comment but did not receive a response before publishing. Jones Entertainment Group, which manages Centennial Hall, referred questions to the city. In a statement on the LDE website, the company says it will work with impacted customers to assist in switching to alternative heating sources. The decommissioning process, it adds, will be structured to minimize customer inconvenience and maintain continuity of service. "We have made sure to provide impacted customers within each respective zone with ample notice to switch to alternative heating systems before the onset of the upcoming winter seasons," the statement says. The company says it's completing an analysis of the remainder of the network. "If our assessments highlight areas that pose safety and/or reliability risks, we will take the necessary actions to either upgrade or decommission those sections to uphold the safety, integrity and efficiency of our service delivery to customers," the LDE website reads. No members of city administration were available to comment Wednesday. "There's a high-pressure line. I do not necessarily foresee anything coming up in the future from that, from what Enwave has informed us," Ward 13 Coun. David Ferreira said Wednesday. He hesitated to comment further, as the city is still assessing impacts. Enwave and LDE provides chilled water for cooling and steam for heating to city hall, Centennial Hall, the Central Library, Museum London, RBC Place and the J. Allyn Taylor Building. The current service contract between the city and company dates to 1992. Previous figures on Enwave's website say it serves at least 60 customers, including St. Joseph's Hospital and University Hospital, and operates 10 kilometres of steam pipes. It also operates three kilometres of chilled water pipes, which will not be impacted.
