Even before the latest rate increase, steam heat was losing popularity. Xcel says the total number of customers declined by 10 percent over the last decade, from 136 in 2009 to 122 this year.

If you’re one of the rare regular readers, you know by now that I like steam heat. If asked why, I would say it’s the uniqueness of the jobs I look at. I don’t think that they are ever the same, and I ...

Beneath the streets of hundreds of North America's oldest cities lies a network of pipes delivering steam heat to office buildings and hospitals. These steam loops could be a clean energy solution.

Many of these heat rate improvements stem from physical upgrades to steam turbine generators. According to EPRI, such upgrades have led to heat rate improvements in the range of 2 to 4 percent.

Steam: A Gentle Heat with Powerful Potential The idea of using heat to kill cancer isn’t new. According to the National Cancer Institute, high temperatures can damage or destroy cancer cells.

The waste heat makes the steam. Ancona says this highly efficient and flexible system could easily ditch natural gas and replace it with renewable energy or lower-carbon fuel to generate that steam.