System of the Year Award

The System of the Year Award (SOYA) is the highest honor IDEA can bestow on a district energy system. It recognizes an exemplary district energy system providing high-level performance and service that further the goals of the district energy industry.

The IDEA System of the Year Award serves to:

 - Provide a global industry benchmark for industry excellence, recognizing systems that illustrate the operational advantages of district energy in providing sustainable, efficient, reliable, and resilient energy services in their communities.

- Provide a platform for sharing ideas, best practices and innovations that have helped to make district energy systems successful. 

- Identify and promote the importance and value of district energy systems in the marketplace relative to other forms of energy generation and distribution.

- Further publicize district energy as a progressive industry that seeks continuous improvement in the services it provides.




Download the Application
Download and Complete the Availability-Reliability Spreadsheet

Submit Your Application to Be Crowned the 2026 IDEA System of the Year

Is this the year that your system is honored as the IDEA System of the Year? 

The application to submit for 2026 IDEA System of the Year Award is now available. Download it today and get ready weave the story about your system to the world.

Winners will be celebrated at IDEA2026 in Ottawa, ON, Canada, June 23-26. 2026.

The deadline to submit your application for review is Friday, May 1, 2026.

Download the 2026 SOYA Application

Eligibility

To be considered for the System of the Year Award, the district energy system will be comprised of a central plant or plants providing thermal energy and/or electricity to three or more buildings through a distribution network. The system may incorporate technologies such as highly efficient heating and cooling, combined heat and power (CHP), waste energy recovery, waste-to-energy, thermal storage, renewables, microgrids, and other related technologies.


In addition, eligible systems must meet the following criteria to be considered for this award:
1. Subject district energy system and/or system representative must be a member in good standing of IDEA or be managed by an entity that is an active member of IDEA.
2. The system may be publicly or privately owned.
3. A university, military, corporate or healthcare campus, downtown utility, municipal, airport, community or government-owned entity serving three or more separate building facilities is eligible.
4. The system must have been in operation for at least two (2) years. Start of operation determined by date of continuous service to first customer or facility.

      

Meet Last Year's Winner!

Cordia Pittsburgh wins the 2025 System of the Year Award

The International District Energy Association (IDEA) is proud to announce that Cordia Pittsburgh has been awarded the System of the Year Award (SOYA) at IDEA2025, the organization’s annual conference and trade show, which was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota in June.
 
SOYA is the highest honor IDEA can bestow on a district energy system, recognizing high-level performance and service that furthers the goals of our industry. Cordia Pittsburgh – through its initiatives to transform district energy across the city – has established itself as a benchmark for industry excellence, showcasing innovative strategies and technologies that make district energy systems successful. Additionally, Cordia Pittsburgh continues to exemplify this year’s conference theme, “Aggregate, Integrate, Innovate,” by establishing its systems and infrastructure across the city as sustainable, efficient, and resilient, and building upon previous investments to unlock even greater success during the past decade.  

(from left to right), Earl Collins, CEO, Cordia, SOYA chairman Bob Smith, Mark Schneider, President, East Region, Cordia and IDEA President and CEO Rob Thornton.

Over 20 Years Recognizing Excellence in District Energy

Past Winners

2025  Cordia Pittsburgh
2024  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL
2023  Austin Energy, Austin, TX
2022 Enwave Energy Corporation, Toronto, ON
2021 Milwaukee Regional Medical Center Thermal and Ever-Green Energy, Milwaukee, WI
2020 Tabreed, UAE
2019 Thermal Energy Corporation, Houston, TX
2018 University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
2017 University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri
2016 City of Richmond, British Columbia
2015 Veolia Energy Boston, Massachusetts
2014 Qatar Cool, Doha, Qatar
2013 Markham District Energy, Markham, ON
2012 Qatar Cool, Doha, Qatar
2011 Enwave Energy Corporation, Toronto, ON
2010 District Energy St. Paul, St. Paul, MN
2009 SOYA Not Awarded, All Recognized – IDEA Centennial Conference
2008 NRG Energy Center Phoenix, Arizona
2007 Consolidated Edison, New York, NY
2006 Metro Nashville District Energy/Constellation Energy Projects & Services Group
2005 University of Cincinnati, Ohio
2004 University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri
2003 Seattle Steam Company, Washington
2001 Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
2000 Consolidated Edison, New York, NY
1999 Enwave Energy Corporation, Toronto, ON
1998 Trigen Baltimore Energy Corporation, Maryland
1997 University of California - Los Angeles, CA
1996 NRG Energy Center Minneapolis, MN
1994 Energy Systems Company, Omaha, NB
1993 District Energy St. Paul, St. Paul, MN