In July 2022, New York State passed the Utility Thermal Energy Networks and Jobs Act, which required Con Edison, and the other large utilities in the state, to propose up to five Utility Thermal Energy Network (UTEN) pilot projects within its service territories. Following an extensive selection process, Con Ed awarded two of its three pilots to Ecosystem, in partnership with AKF.
The aim of the pilots is to develop thermal energy networks that provide heating (and optional cooling) load to multiple buildings. One project will take waste heat from Rockefeller Center and distribute it to adjacent office buildings; the other, in the Chelsea neighborhood, will deliver waste heat from a data center to a nearby public housing complex.
These pilot projects are currently in Design, phase 2 of five as determined by New York State. The next phase, Construction, is slated to begin in 2025.
This program serves as a springboard to scale and to expand thermal energy networks in New York, serving as replicable model to decarbonize and electrify building energy systems and maximize heat recovery.
