Texas has long been defined by oil, heat, and huge infrastructure projects. Now, it’s also at the center of a growing environmental debate. Microsoft’s Stargate campus in Abilene is leading a data center boom that is drawing concern over water use, right in the middle of a prolonged drought. According to a July 2025 investigation
Ok I get that this is bad, but could we not use the data center as water heaters and distribute the hot water to households?
This way the data center can offset some costs, and households would use less energy and money for heating.
could we not use the data center as water heaters and distribute the hot water to households?
is that technically possible? sure. it’s called district heating. that wikipedia article mentions examples of it being used in the Roman empire, 14th century France, the 19th century US Naval Academy, and early 20th century MIT campus.
in practice…houses already have a “regular” water connection running to them. in order for this to be practical, you’re talking about having to run plumbing for a 2nd hot water connection. to every house.
come up with an estimate for how much you think that would cost. then go look up the actual cost that Flint spent on replacing their primary water connection pipes. then go look at your estimate again.
when it’s feasible, usually you see it on a college campus, or somewhere else with high population density and a centrally-located physical plant providing the hot water / steam.
we’re talking about data centers in Texas here. they’re probably in some warehouse district in exurban sprawl, and the homes you’d theoretically want to run the pipes to would all be detached single-family homes in suburbs miles away. hope your pipes are well-insulated.
in practice…houses already have a “regular” water connection running to them. in order for this to be practical, you’re talking about having to run plumbing for a 2nd hot water connection. to every house.
many places, get their heating from such a 2nd pipe carrying NG to their house. While water needs a bigger pipe, it is low pressure, and can be thinner using less metal (or plastic) overall.
Ok I get that this is bad, but could we not use the data center as water heaters and distribute the hot water to households? This way the data center can offset some costs, and households would use less energy and money for heating.
is that technically possible? sure. it’s called district heating. that wikipedia article mentions examples of it being used in the Roman empire, 14th century France, the 19th century US Naval Academy, and early 20th century MIT campus.
in practice…houses already have a “regular” water connection running to them. in order for this to be practical, you’re talking about having to run plumbing for a 2nd hot water connection. to every house.
come up with an estimate for how much you think that would cost. then go look up the actual cost that Flint spent on replacing their primary water connection pipes. then go look at your estimate again.
when it’s feasible, usually you see it on a college campus, or somewhere else with high population density and a centrally-located physical plant providing the hot water / steam.
we’re talking about data centers in Texas here. they’re probably in some warehouse district in exurban sprawl, and the homes you’d theoretically want to run the pipes to would all be detached single-family homes in suburbs miles away. hope your pipes are well-insulated.
many places, get their heating from such a 2nd pipe carrying NG to their house. While water needs a bigger pipe, it is low pressure, and can be thinner using less metal (or plastic) overall.