Improve steam system efficiency, reduce operating costs, and support sustainability goals with condensate heat recovery and clean water reuse services from Vicinity.
Many steam systems discharge hot condensate that still contains valuable heat and clean, treated water. Vicinity helps customers capture and reuse this resource to lower energy and water costs, improve system performance, and reduce environmental impact.
Benefits of condensate recovery and reuse
Lower energy and water costs
Reduced steam consumption
Improved system efficiency
Reduced carbon emissions and water use
Potential support for LEED, ESG, or other sustainability objectives
Vicinity can evaluate, design, and install condensate heat recovery or reuse solutions tailored to each building’s system, operating needs, and sustainability goals.
Common applications include:
Domestic hot water preheating
Low temperature heating
Air handler preheating
Swimming pool preheating
Snowmelt and surface heating for sidewalks, walkways, or loading docks
Greywater systems
Irrigation, green roof watering, fountains, reflecting pools, or other water features
Power washing
Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) reuses condensate in outdoor reflective pool to reduce water costs
The Maryland Center for History and Culture developed a creative solution to pipe condensate into an adjacent outdoor reflecting pool, helping reduce sewer charges and city water costs. By recycling condensate instead of discarding it, MCHC conserves water, lowers costs, and reduces its environmental impact on the surrounding community.
Ready to see what your building could save?
Contact your Vicinity account manager or email info@vicinityenergy.us to schedule a condensate recovery walkthrough.
Vicinity’s comprehensive maintenance services are offered year-round—during peak usage or before system turn-ons—to optimize steam efficiency, reliability, and cost savings.
Why preventative maintenance?
Improve reliability before peak heating season
Reduce outages, disruptions, and comfort complaints
Catch small issues before they become costly repairs
Support safer, more efficient equipment operation
Extend critical system life and performance
Available services
Steam trap surveys
Ensure steam traps function correctly and prevent issues that can lead to energy waste, equipment damage, and safety hazards.
Pressure Regulating Valves (PRVs)
Maintain PRVs for efficient system operation and prevention of system over-pressurization.
Strainers
Reduce rust and pipe scale damage to valves and pumps. Ensure heat transfer surfaces are kept free of efficiency-reducing deposits.
Heat exchanger and water samples
Ensure heat exchangers are operating efficiently, tube bundles are not leaking, and that water is not entering the system through leaks.
Steam pipe
Inspect steam pipe and insulation integrity to ensure safe and reliable delivery of steam to the facility.
Condensate return line
Ensure proper evacuation of condensate from system lines, and identify the presence of leaking steam traps in the system.
Mechanical room hot water loop
Confirm efficient operation of key energy transfer equipment such as heat exchangers, which supply building heat, hot water, or other process loads.
Seasonal and maintenance shutdowns/turn-ons
Prevent pipe deterioration and prepare systems to be dormant for an extended period by draining the systems for shutdowns.
To learn more about Vicinity’s ProService program and schedule a walkthrough, email info@vicinityenergy.us.
Vicinity’s comprehensive maintenance services are offered year-round—during peak usage or before system turn-ons—to optimize steam efficiency, reliability, and cost savings.
Why preventative maintenance?
Improve reliability before peak heating season
Reduce outages, disruptions, and comfort complaints
Catch small issues before they become costly repairs
Support safer, more efficient equipment operation
Extend critical system life and performance
Available services
Steam trap surveys
Ensure steam traps function correctly and prevent issues that can lead to energy waste, equipment damage, and safety hazards.
Pressure Regulating Valves (PRVs)
Maintain PRVs for efficient system operation and prevention of system over-pressurization.
Strainers
Reduce rust and pipe scale damage to valves and pumps. Ensure heat transfer surfaces are kept free of efficiency-reducing deposits.
Heat exchanger and water samples
Ensure heat exchangers are operating efficiently, tube bundles are not leaking, and that water is not entering the system through leaks.
Steam pipe
Inspect steam pipe and insulation integrity to ensure safe and reliable delivery of steam to the facility.
Condensate return line
Ensure proper evacuation of condensate from system lines, and identify the presence of leaking steam traps in the system.
Mechanical room hot water loop
Confirm efficient operation of key energy transfer equipment such as heat exchangers, which supply building heat, hot water, or other process loads.
Seasonal and maintenance shutdowns/turn-ons
Prevent pipe deterioration and prepare systems to be dormant for an extended period by draining the systems for shutdowns.
To learn more about Vicinity’s ProService program and schedule a walkthrough, email info@vicinityenergy.us.
Vicinity ProService provides responsive expert support to help keep heat, hot water, and steam systems operating safely, efficiently, and reliably.
Vicinity ProService benefits
Improve reliability before peak heating season
Reduce outages, disruptions, and comfort complaints
Catch small issues before they become costly repairs
Support safer, more efficient equipment operation
Extend critical system life and performance
Why Vicinity ProService?
District energy expertise: Specialists who understand customer-side equipment and Vicinity’s network.
Responsive support: Help for urgent needs plus proactive maintenance plan
Practical recommendations: Targeted improvements to strengthen reliability, efficiency, and performance.
Available services
Emergency services & repairs
Emergency response, service calls, heat and hot water troubleshooting, leak identification, shutdowns, and urgent steam support.
Operations and maintenance
Seasonal tune-ups, inspections, steam trap testing, valve cleaning and repairs, and system turn-ons or shutdowns.
Energy efficiency and system optimization
Domestic hot water review, heat exchanger inspections, pressure reducing valve service, condensate equipment evaluation and beneficial reuse, and insulation checks.
Equipment installation, repair and upgrade
Support for pumps, PRVs, heat exchangers, condensate equipment, heating equipment, steam valves, domestic hot water systems, and insulation.
Schedule your ProService assessment
Contact your Vicinity account manager or email us at info@vicinityenergy.ustoday to schedule an assessment, request a quote, or learn more about services available in your market.
Latest agreement affirms Vicinity’s commitment to decarbonization in Greater Boston, achieving net zero by 2050
Cambridge, MA, November 4, 2025 – Vicinity Energy, a decarbonization leader with the nation’s largest portfolio of district energy systems, today announced agreements with Everllence [formerly MAN Energy Solutions], and DCO Energy. This partnership secures the latest achievement in Vicinity’s electrification strategy that is already well underway in Boston and Cambridge, locking in the installation of a 35MW river-based industrial-scale heat pump complex for steam generation with the ability to reach over 70 million square feet of building space.
A significant portion of this industrial-scale heat pump has already been secured through long-term contracts with leading medical and educational institutions, even before construction has begun. This interest underscores both the strong demand and market confidence surrounding decarbonization.
The industrial-scale heat pump will be provided by Everllence while the installation and balance of plant modifications will be completed by DCO. A natural gas boiler will be removed to make way for the new, emissions-free heat pump, with demolition already underway in preparation for the heat pump installation at Vicinity’s Kendall Square facility by 2028. The heat pump will be collocated at the existing Kendall plant site, leveraging Kendall’s existing electrical interconnect. This technology will enable Vicinity to harness the inherent heat of the Charles River, turning it into a renewable energy resource to generate and deliver carbon-free thermal energy, known as eSteam™, to its customers.
As the baseload generating equipment for the company’s electrification plans in Boston and Cambridge, this innovative system will be the first to utilize the Charles River as a renewable resource to produce carbon-free steam, representing a significant leap forward in sustainable energy production. The company also plans to install thermal storage technologies to provide on-demand eSteam™ production from renewable electricity.
The net impact of the project is multifaceted: customers gain access to carbon-free thermal energy, citizens of Boston and Cambridge breathe significantly cleaner air, local laborers and unions gain access to quality jobs, and the Charles River ecosystem benefits from reduced temperatures.
“Execution of this project makes Vicinity’s vision of decarbonizing cities at scale a reality,” said Kevin Hagerty, CEO at Vicinity Energy. “Powered by renewable electricity to safely and efficiently harvest energy from the Charles River, this represents rapid advancement in electrification for U.S. district energy systems, demonstrating how proven heat pump technology can be deployed at scale to decarbonize cities. It enables immediate, scalable carbon reductions without the need for costly and time-intensive new electrical infrastructure in Greater Boston. We are establishing the blueprint of how to decarbonize a U.S. city and will be installing similar innovative electrification technologies at our district energy systems across 12 U.S. cities.”
The agreement with Everllence to build a river-source heat pump complex at Vicinity’s Kendall facility relies on the Charles River’s thermal energy, an untapped renewable energy resource.
“The heating sector still drives a major portion of global CO₂ emissions, and the energy transition simply cannot succeed without decarbonizing heat,” said Uwe Lauber at Everllence. “District heating remains one of the most efficient and sustainable ways to deliver thermal energy to commercial and industrial users. With this latest agreement, we are taking a major step forward with Vicinity to bring our proven mega heat pump technology to the U.S. market. Together, we are demonstrating how district energy systems can shift away from fossil fuels while maintaining resilience and performance.”
Previously, Vicinity installed a new 42MW electric boiler at its Kendall facility, which provides carbon-free thermal energy to its Boston partners through the established 29-miles of steam piping that runs underneath the city — the Boston and Cambridge district energy system. eSteamTM customers currently include IQHQ and Emerson College. By adopting eSteamTM , these institutions are not only advancing their sustainability goals but also positioning themselves to comply with local requirements such as BERDO and BEUDO, while aligning with Massachusetts’ Stretch Energy Code.
“Our priority is delivering reliable, practical solutions that make economic sense,” said Gary Fromer, CEO at DCO Energy. “Vicinity’s heat pump installation is a smart investment—it reduces emissions without compromising performance, and it’s built to operate efficiently over the long term. It’s a real-world step toward sustainability that works for today and the future. This collaboration builds upon the recent success of our joint projects in Philadelphia, further strengthening our track record of delivering innovative, sustainable energy solutions together.”
Building on the blueprint established in Boston and Cambridge, Vicinity is applying lessons learned to guide decarbonization plans in other cities. Progress is already underway in Grand Rapids, where installation of a 9MW electric boiler has begun, marking the city’s first step toward electrification. While each location will follow its own path and timelines, Vicinity is committed to advancing sustainable, scalable solutions across its portfolio. Click here to read more about Vicinity’s district energy systems and its commitment to innovation and the environment.
Illustrates Vicinity’s carbon-free thermal energy concept.
Everllence (formerly MAN Energy Solutions) is a leading provider of propulsion, decarbonization and efficiency solutions for shipping, the energy economy and industry. True to our motto – ‘Moving big things to zero’ – we help key industries in the global economy to reduce hard-to-abate emissions. Our technologies have a measurable impact on the success of the global energy transition. Headquartered in Germany, Everllence employs some 15,000 people at over 140 sites globally. Our after-sales brand, Everllence PrimeServ, also supports our customers through its worldwide service-center network.
DCO Energy (DCO) is a nationally recognized developer of sustainable and renewable energy facilities that enriches the communities it operates by partnering with contractors, businesses, and talent. DCO Energy applies robust and innovative design, construction, and operation methodologies resulting in sustainable and safe solutions for owners in different industry sectors.
About Vicinity Energy
Vicinity Energy is the largest owner and operator of district energy systems dedicated to decarbonizing its operations and investing in innovative renewable thermal energy technologies to offer carbon-free eSteam™ to its customers. Operating 19 district energy systems in 12 cities, Vicinity delivers reliable and sustainable steam, hot water, and chilled water to 250 million square feet of building space nationwide. As Vicinity advances its electrification efforts across its locations, the goal to achieve net zero by 2050 is more than a commitment—it’s a mission. Learn more about Vicinity’s vision for a clean energy future at www.vicinityenergy.us.
Discover how district energy electrification is helping cities achieve their carbon reduction goals. Read Vicinity’s roadmap, real-world results, and what it means for your building.
