DEC Energy

In 1989, the City of Lincoln and Lancaster County formed the District Energy Corporation. DEC is a nonprofit joint entity whose mission is to provide low-cost, reliable and efficient thermal energy services.

Initially, these services were provided to the County-City building and Lancaster County Jail. Today, the scope of DEC’s operation has expanded to include the Nebraska State Capitol, Nebraska State Office building, Nebraska State Administration office, Hall of Justice building, Court House Plaza building, K Street Records facility, 605 building, 825 building, Lancaster County Adult Detention facility, Pinnacle Bank Arena, Canopy Lofts, Hyatt Hotel/Hobson Place Condominiums, Oscar Projects, The Railyard, Hudl, Canopy Row, Lincoln Electric System’s Operations Center, and Nebraska State Penitentiary. 

The reliable and efficient infrastructure and resources DEC provides today can help foster economic development of the greater Lincoln area tomorrow by providing efficient, low-cost thermal services to even more qualifying participants.

DEC meets the heating and cooling needs of its customers with district heating and cooling systems. It comprises six thermal energy plants in Lincoln, Nebraska. Thermal energy produced at these plants is distributed to customers through an underground network of insulated pipes. These systems use 10-15 percent less energy than the conventional heating and cooling systems traditionally installed in buildings today.

West Haymarket Thermal Plant

This plant provides heating and cooling services to customers of the West Haymarket Joint Public Agency, which includes the Pinnacle Bank Arena (nearly 16,000-seat facility), through an energy services agreement between DEC and the agency. The plant has chillers, cooling towers and both gas-fired and electric resistance boilers that produce hot and chilled water to serve the arena and additional commercial, retail and residential space. The hot and chilled water is distributed through an underground piping distribution system. Private and public developments receive heating and cooling service from the DEC facilities through agreements with the agency. The West Haymarket Joint Public Agency is DEC’s only customer related to the West Haymarket thermal plant. Service began in September 2013.

County Adult Detention Facility Thermal Plant

This plant provides heating and cooling service to the detention facility. It uses a geothermal well field and water-to-water heat pumps to provide the detention facility chilled and hot water through an underground piping distribution system. Standby generation (5.4 megawatts) provides backup electrical service for the detention facility and plant while operating in either isolation from or parallel to the grid. Service began in 2012. The detention facility was occupied in 2013.

State Boiler Plant

This plant uses dual fuel boilers (gas primary with oil backup) to produce steam that heats the Nebraska State Capitol, Nebraska State Office building and Nebraska State Administrative office. Steam is delivered to each facility through an underground piping distribution system. Service began in 1999.

County/City Thermal Plant

This plant provides heating and cooling service to the County-City building, County Hall of Justice and other county/city facilities in downtown Lincoln through an underground piping distribution system that carries hot water and chilled water. The system uses a combination of chillers, dual fuel boilers (gas primary with oil backup) and thermal ice storage. Service began in 1991.

Lincoln Electric System Operations Center Thermal Plant

This plant began providing heating and cooling services to the LES Operations Center on March 1, 2019. Similar to the County Adult Detention Facility Thermal Plant, the LOC plant uses a geothermal well field and water-to-water heat pumps to provide chilled and hot water, which is delivered to the LOC through an underground piping distribution system. Diesel generators (nearly 1.5 megawatts in total) are available to provide backup power for the LOC and the plant while operating in either isolation from or parallel to the grid.

Nebraska State Penitentiary Thermal Plant

DEC has constructed a new plant to serve the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Nebraska State Penitentiary. The penitentiary’s previous plant consisted of outdated coal-fired boilers and aging chillers and cooling towers. The new facility uses higher-efficiency, gas-fired steam generators to provide high-pressure space heating steam and process steam for laundry. New high-efficiency chillers and cooling towers were installed to provide chilled water. The steam and chilled water are delivered to the penitentiary through an underground piping distribution system. Diesel generators were installed to provide backup power in isolation from the electrical grid. Service began in December 2019.