News Releases from Region 06
Thermal Energy Corporation in Houston, Texas Earns ENERGY STAR Award for Carbon Pollution Reductions
DALLAS - (June 29, 2015) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently recognized Thermal Energy Corporation (TECO) of Houston, Texas with the ENERGY STAR Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Award. TECO substantially reduced emissions of carbon dioxide at its plant that serves 19.3 million square feet of building space at the Texas Medical Center-world's largest medical center complex.
"EPA applauds this year's ENERGY STAR Combined Heat and Power winner, who demonstrated innovative strategies to maximize efficiency by converting fuel to useful energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions," said EPA Regional Administrator Ron Curry. "Their commitment to improve the nation's energy and environmental outlook will provide healthy air and create a path for others to follow."
TECO demonstrated how CHP can partner with district energy systems to reduce emissions from electricity generation. District energy plants produce chilled water, hot water and steam and pipe them underground to individual buildings for air conditioning, space heating, domestic hot water heating, dehumidification, humidification and sterilization.
"One of the best aspects of winning the award is that it affirms the vision and the decision to install a CHP plant to support the TECO district energy system," says Steve Swinson, TECO's president and CEO. "We encourage others to take a closer look at their systems and realize the energy, environmental and fiscal savings that are possible. In today's fast-changing energy industry, status quo just isn't an option."
The CHP awards were presented to two other facilities today at the International District Energy Association's 106th Annual Conference and Trade Show in Boston, Massachusetts. These systems are helping to advance the President's goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's electric power supply system.
The U.S. EPA's CHP Partnership is a voluntary program that seeks to reduce the environmental impact of power generation by promoting the use of cost-effective CHP. The Partnership works closely with energy users, the CHP industry, state and local governments, and other clean energy stakeholders to facilitate the development of new CHP projects and to promote their environmental and economic benefits.
With these CHP systems, today's award winners are helping to advance the President's goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's electric power supply system. EPA recently released one of the most comprehensive analyses to date on the economic, health and environmental benefits to the United States of global climate action. Explore the report: http://www2.epa.gov/cira.
More information about the CHP Partnership: http://epa.gov/chp/
More information about the ENERGY STAR CHP awards: http://epa.gov/partnership/awards.html
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