The Cherry Hill Homes public housing complex in Baltimore, Maryland, has operated a steam district heating system at its Cherry Hill Homes public housing complex for over 40 years providing space heating and domestic hot water heating for its residents. The system contains three different heating system designs serviced from a single boiler facility. In early 1983, an aging steam distribution system and boiler plant caused the Housing Authority to plan a total heating system renovation. The authors worked with the Housing Authority to determine overall maintenance requirements, life-cycle costs, fuel flexibility, and first cost to arrive at a decision to rehabilitate the entire housing complex using hot water district heating technology. The new system is designed to use oil or natural gas as a heating fuel and for eventual interconnection with a solid waste cogeneration plant 1.7 miles away. Low-temperature hot water district heating technology, commonly applied in Europe, was used to accomplish a cost-effective and energy-efficient design.

Units: I-P