A Note From Our Team
There is nothing like summer in Minnesota! While warmer weather crept up on us early this year, it is wonderful to see everyone out and about enjoying our city. The District Energy and Ever-Green Energy teams cheered on our friends at a St. Paul Saints game on a beautiful early summer evening at CHS Field. We are excited to see what the rest of their season holds.
With the arrival of warmer temperatures and longer days, it is important to check that your system is prepared for cooling season and is running efficiently. Performing startup procedures and optimization techniques can prepare your cooling system to meet peak monthly demand. Remember to consult our step-by-step guide for pre-startup and startup procedures. Starting equipment at minimum speed, staging equipment starting schedules, and tuning flow control are some of the strategies that can help improve efficiency. If you have questions or need assistance on these or any other matters related to system upkeep, please reach out to our team. We are here to help.
We understand that reliability, cost-effectiveness, and energy efficiency remain top priorities for our customers, and we are committed to delivering on those values. District Energy is proud to help drive sustainability initiatives for all our customers. We provide our chilled water customers with carbon-neutral cooling and our heating customers with up to 50% renewable heat production from renewable, urban tree waste. Just being a District Energy customer provides a reduction in carbon emissions by 45-54% depending on building size. Since our early days, we have been continuously advancing our efforts to decarbonize the system and these combined efforts have reduced the system’s carbon emissions by 78% between 2000 – 2024. You can find out more about these benefits and many others by checking out our 2024 Annual Report below.
As always, your team at District Energy is here to talk through any questions or processes to keep your system running and keep you cool all summer long. We are always here and ready to help. Please reach out to us at 651-297-8955 or info@districtenergy.com.
Sincerely,
Steve Rambeck
Vice President of Business Development and Commercial Strategy
Thank You for Joining Customer Appreciation Day
We were happy to gather with so many of you at our annual Customer Appreciation Day this May. Sharing lunch and great conversation with you is one of the highlights of our year. This event is always a meaningful opportunity for us to hear directly from you about changes downtown and projects you have planned for your buildings and businesses. These opportunities help us understand what matters most when it comes to your District Energy connection.
We also kicked off our 2025 Customer Survey. This is another important tool to help us better understand your needs and priorities. If you have not had a chance to participate yet, we encourage you to do so. Your feedback directly shapes our services, and we carefully review every submission to help guide our team to make the right improvements at District Energy. If you would like to complete the customer survey, you can find it here.
The Hans O. Nyman Energy Center’s New Look
If you find yourself walking through downtown Saint Paul, be sure to stop by the Hans O. Nyman Energy Center to see Snoopy’s fresh new look. We are proud to be Snoopy’s long-standing downtown home and are excited to showcase his summer refresh, thanks to the talented local artist Marla Gamble.
While you are there, do not miss our new window clings, where you can learn more about how District Energy supports customers and the community with reliable heating and cooling services throughout downtown Saint Paul.
District Energy Magazine Feature
District Energy was featured as part of the June cover story of District Energy Magazine, a publication of the International District Energy Association. The story correlates with the Association’s annual conference that was hosted in the Twin Cities this June.
The story covers District Energy’s origins in 1983, one of the first systems in North America to transition from steam to hot water. The article touches on District Energy’s many innovations over the years, including the addition of biomass, the elimination of coal, and the installation of the first solar thermal system to be connected to a district energy system.
To learn more, you can read the full article here.
IDEA Tours at Annual Conference
On June 6, we welcomed 60 attendees from the annual conference of the International District Energy Association to our plant facilities for guided tours. Participants came from around the US and internationally to attend the IDEA conference and toured both the District Energy plant and the University of Minnesota’s Main Energy Plant, managed by Ever-Green Energy. These tours allowed us to shine a light on Saint Paul’s innovation and long-standing vision and commitment to district energy. Our industry peers are always impressed with the number of innovative solutions that we have been able to integrate considering our small, urban footprint including biomass infrastructure, thermal storage, and solar thermal.
Swinging into the Season with Sustainable Energy at CHS Field
As another exciting baseball season gets underway, we are proud to continue our partnership with the St. Paul Saints and CHS Field, the greenest ballpark in America. From rainwater filtration and graywater reuse to on-site solar panels, composting, and eco-friendly cleaning practices, CHS Field is a standout example of sustainability in action.
District Energy is honored to play a key role by delivering reliable, renewable energy to the ballpark and helping fans learn more about sustainable energy solutions. If you are heading to a Saints game this season, be sure to watch for District Energy and check out our featured video introducing our new President and CEO, Luke Gaalswyk.
District Energy St. Paul and Caterpillar’s Hydrogen CHP Pilot Project Results
District Energy, in partnership with Caterpillar Inc., has announced the results of our three-year fuel flexibility pilot project. The initiative successfully demonstrated a 2.0 MW combined heat and power (CHP) system with a Cat® G3516 gas generator set using 100% hydrogen fuel.
District Energy hosted this project in cooperation with Caterpillar, Inc. and the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy as well as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Learn more here.
Right Track Supervisor Award – Pam Sarne
Pam Sarne has served as a leader in accounting at District Energy for 15 years. She was recently awarded a special honor for supporting the next generation of Saint Paul’s workforce. Pam was named one of the 2024 Right Track Supervisors of the Year, nominated by Accounting Right Track intern, Krystal Nyiaxaher, who interned with us in the summer of 2024. We are grateful to Pam for sharing her knowledge and providing mentorship.
A collaborative program, Right Track brings together the City of Saint Paul, Saint Paul Public Schools, local businesses, and community-based organizations to provide employment opportunities, professional skills training, and business network building for youth, supporting a skilled and diverse workforce for the future. We are excited to participate in the Right Track program again this summer.
Bill Mahlum, Pivotal Founder of District Energy St. Paul, has Passed Away
William (Bill) Mahlum, one of the original architects of District Energy St. Paul, passed away on June 10, 2025. He was a valuable organizational leader whose work continues to benefit the customers and community we serve. In the late 1970s, Bill served as outside legal counsel and helped to incorporate District Energy as a nonprofit utility. He then moved to in-house counsel and played a pivotal role in establishing the biomass-fired combined heat and power business as well as the wood processing service, to help solve Saint Paul’s tree waste issue and provide renewable heating to customers. Over his 34 years of service, through his many roles, his innovation, and his tenacity, Bill has left an indelible mark on the energy field, the City of Saint Paul, and the opportunities for community-based energy systems throughout the United States. Read more about Bill’s legacy and the details of his memorial service.
Ken Peterson’s 14 Years of Board Service
Ken Peterson has left the District Energy Board of Directors after 14 years of service. Peterson served on the board from 2011-2014 representing large customers and then returned to the board in 2015 as a City of Saint Paul appointee.
Luke Gaalswyk, President and CEO, said, “Ken’s service to District Energy has been invaluable for our customers, community, and organizational growth. His policy expertise, paired with his passionate belief in the environmental benefits and community value of District Energy has helped propel our work. We are grateful for his steady presence and thoughtful leadership and guidance and thank him for his long tenure of service.”
Ken is an attorney and from 1988-91 and 2011-2019, he served as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. While Commissioner he led efforts to increase on-the-job training opportunities; improve workplace safety; and reduce workers’ compensation costs while increasing injured workers’ benefits.
His other government leadership roles include stints as director of Saint Paul’s Planning and Economic Development Department, chief of staff for the mayor, and Deputy Minnesota Attorney General. In addition to government service and practicing law, he’s been a college teacher and journalist. Ken has served on the boards of the History Theater and the Workers’ Compensation Reinsurance Association. He previously was President of the National Association of Government Labor Officials, President of the West Seventh/Fort Road Federation, chaired the Anishinabe Legal Services Board and was a member of the Ramsey County Charter Commission. Ken is a graduate of Hamline University, George Washington University Law School, and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
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