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Hate to sound like a country bumpkin, but for years while watching movies where the story takes place in Manhattan (or other large northern cities), many times during night scenes there are plumes of steam rising from various places near or next to the street. What's the source?
I've been to cities in the west but haven't made it east yet.
Thanks for the link. Didn't know there was an actual city-wide system to provide steam - I guess what is seen in the open-air/next to the streets is excess being allowed to escape.
Sadly the same steam pipes keep polls of gutter water warm enough for mosquitoes to flourish well into the winter. I killed two of them in my apartment last night.
Cogeneration is a terrific idea and basically this steam is waste heat from electricity production. It is under many streets in Manhattan from 96th on down.
I have tried to find the cost of City steam to no avail. It HAS to be cheaper than oil heat that my co-op uses at a cost of $1 million a year. And how sensible...no boiler, only a connecting valve and a meter.
Cogeneration is a terrific idea and basically this steam is waste heat from electricity production. It is under many streets in Manhattan from 96th on down.
I have tried to find the cost of City steam to no avail. It HAS to be cheaper than oil heat that my co-op uses at a cost of $1 million a year. And how sensible...no boiler, only a connecting valve and a meter.
I just took a look at those tariffs - probably cheaper than oil service - but look at those 1500-3000 a month "customer charges." Makes me feel a little better about $50 in customer charges for gas/elec. for only $15 or so in actual energy usage.
Thanks nybbler...let me play with those figures but that $39 per 1000 pounds of steam seems pretty cheap at first blush.
We are a huge user so the $1700 a month service charge wouldn't matter a lot. (I guess they want ony BIG consumers.)
Musing first approximation:
$38 gets 1000 pounds of steam or about a million BTU'S.
Oil gives about 140,000 BTU'S per gallon for about $3 or 4 bucks.
Jesus, oil seems to come out a lot cheaper. What am I figuring wrong?
(Mlbs DOES stand for a thousand pounds, right? I know sometimes you see "M" refer improperly to MILLION.)
I see for RATE 2 you can get a $21/Mbps for using a lot of steam but the Service Charge is a whopping $6700 per month. A lot cheaperr in the Summer.
But an advantage is no boiler, no chimneys, no smell.
(West side steam is provided up to 96th, East Side to 89th.)
Last edited by Kefir King; 12-06-2011 at 08:37 AM..
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