If you’ve ever walked past San Francisco City Hall or along Market Street on a chilly morning, you’ve probably seen it — white clouds puffing up from grates and manholes like the street is exhaling.
That “mystery steam” is the most visible clue that a lot of downtown is still heated (and sometimes cooled) by an underground steam network that most people never think about.
1) Its not “random steam” — its a 2-square-mile district energy system
Downtown San Francisco has a centralized steam system that serves roughly a 2-square-mile area and pipes steam to about 180-185 customers, covering more than 37 million……