TECO earns Energy Star award for District Energy Center

Thermal Energy Corp. (TECO) earned an Energy Star Combined Heat and Power Award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to Burns & McDonnell, which worked with TECO as an engineering and construction contractor.

The EPA recognized TECO for its district energy center, which services the Texas Medical Center. The facility cost $377 million to create but has a history of reductions for both emissions and energy costs.

"TECO's (Combined Heat and Power) system has become a demonstration lab for the entire industry on how to more efficiently use energy and reduce emissions," Burns & McDonnell OnSite Energy and Power Group Vice President Scott Clark said. "We were thrilled to see this award given to TECO because of their commitment to demonstrating how district energy systems can be a crucial element in solving our country's energy challenges."

The TECO system is the country’s largest and serves the largest medical center in the world while remaining reliable and energy efficient. The facility represents annual savings of $12 million, and reaches a customer space of more than 19 million square feet.

"We're incredibly honored to receive the ENERGY STAR (Combined Heat and Power) Award," TECO President and CEO Steve Swinson said. "So many people and organizations have made it happen, such as our board of directors, employees, GE's Distributed Power business and Burns & McDonnell."