How does Seattle Steams efficiency compare to other heat sources?
• From cradle to grave (or source to site, using ENERGY STAR terms), District Energy systems like Seattle Steam remain a more efficient way of delivering energy than other sources, such as electricity and natural gas. Seattle Steam’s energy is produced and delivered within a very small footprint — 18 miles of pipe under approximately one-square mile of downtown Seattle. By comparison, electricity or natural gas supplied to buildings is produced hundreds of miles away and still must be converted to heat at the building site. The benefit of the Seattle Steam system is that since it serves so many customers from two locations, it can create efficiencies and opportunities that individual buildings and customers usually cannot. Seattle Steam can use a variety of conventional fuels such as natural gas or oil, and it can also transition to use renewable fuels such as biomass, or a combination of fuels. This provides fuel efficiency and pricing flexibility.
