Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1921-01-27
Central Heating Makes Good.

Heating residences and business
houses from a central plant is so at
ractlve in principle, especially as fuel
dinlculties increase, and so often fails
IN practice, that an analysis of one
thoroughly successful installation of
this kind is we'll worth while. In the
unusual undertaking under consider
ahon, success has attended the
financial is we'll as the service side of
the operation; and further interest is
contributed BY the fact that il is a
municipality owned and conducted
utility. which takes care of the cleo
trlc-lighting demand and the local
water supply as we'll as the community
heating.
The village OF Waterloo. Wis, in
which this service is installed, has a
population around 1000, and boasts
three blocks of business buildings,
mostly two-story. The central plant
is about 800 #. from the center of this
group. In il is a 15O-hp Cqrlss-type
engine, belted to a lO0-kw., 2,3OO-volt
generator, and a duplex tandem-com-
pound water-supPly pump of in
stroke. Steam for all three services
is supplied by two l2-hp. tubular un-
derfeed boilers.
From the plant 10 the distributing
center are an Sin low pressure steam
pipe, Ain. return for condensation
water, and a Pin. high pressure pipe
Tor booster purposes and to supply
consumers desiring l0O-lb. steam.
Branching and extending one block
in each direction from the distributing
center are Ain, a 2-in., and lin
pipe-a total of LOO fl. of heating
mains. All these lines are covered
with lI3-in. asbestos with a canvas
Jacket, wrapped with bare copper wire,
coated with asphalt paint, and run
through duct buried in a concrete
lined trench, with a dead-air space
around each pipe. Manholes and
drains are arranged to prevent any ac-
cumulation Of water.
The entire cost of this plant, ready
for service, was $1,000 For the frs,
season the heating division of the
utility had only four customers, but
they were large, and paid in S5OS for
live months service. Now there are
40 heating customers, including two
who use high-pressure steam, Add
tons of connections and meters for the
new subscribers have brought the plant
valuation up to Sl3,l97, and the total
net income last season was Sl4,2S5
On these figures, it is calculated that
the plant now has paid for itself after
four years of operation, and that con-
sumerS have enjoyed a price for their
heat equivalent to $3.50 a ton for the
best grade of Illinois coal, if used in
their own furnaces. This is computed
to represent a saving of about $4,000 a
year.
The remarkable success Of this in.
Stallation is attributed to the fact thai
expert engineering attention was giver
to its design and arrangement, based
on critical study of local conditions
And conversely, it is argued that the
numerous failures of similar attempts
large and small, are due solely to the
common lack of that technical con-
sideration demanded by any public
utility undertaking as the reasonable
price Of satisfactory service and in
vestment returns. 1t is interesting to
note, in conclusion, that an installation
OF the same kind is now being made
in Belvidere, ILL.,, city of some 5000
oo1uIot;na