RELAC will live to cool down residents and businesses near Lake Anne in Reston for at least one more summer.
Reston RELAC President Mark Waddell informed customers on Monday (March 31) that he’s in discussions to transfer ownership of the chilled-water cooling system to a contractor in Maryland, enabling operations to continue after a previously planned hand-off fell through.
Innovative Mechanical Systems, a commercial HVAC and plumbing contractor based in Mechanicsville, has expressed interest in owning and operating RELAC going forward, Waddell said, noting that the company’s experience operating the utility last year gives it familiarity with the unusual system.
“There is still time to get everything up and running before the 2nd consecutive 80 degree day in May,” Waddell told customers by email.
Established in the 1960s, RELAC pumps up water from Lake Anne that’s then chilled and circulated to customers. It remains required for certain residential clusters and a few businesses under Reston Association’s deed, which prohibits those properties from installing individual air-conditioning units.
More than 600 properties currently utilize the cooling system, including 343 townhomes, 258 condominiums and 25 commercial units, according to RA.
Reston RELAC announced in December 2023 that it would no longer operate the utility, citing challenges with keeping up with increased costs and maintenance.
Though a bid to repeal RA’s ban on individual AC units failed, a group of Reston residents led by Simon McKeown formed a new entity called Relac Water Cooling or springRELAC with the goal of taking over the utility and running it as a community-owned cooperative.
The entity was registered as a nonprofit with the State Corporation Commission, which governs private utilities, in February 2024, and it was able to successfully operate the system during the 2024 cooling season.
However, plans for springRELAC to take ownership of the utility were complicated by McKeown’s death in December. After Reston RELAC requested additional financial information before signing off on a final agreement, springRELAC announced on March 25 that its operating authority won’t be renewed, and it was no longer going to take over the utility — leaving open the question of whether cooling services would be available this year.
While the transfer to Innovative Mechanical Systems hasn’t been finalized, the contractor has agreed to pay Lamont Wilson, who led Relac Water Cooling’s engineering team, to start filling up RELAC’s chillers with refrigerant — the first step toward getting the system operational, Waddell says.
“All RELAC customers can rest assured that we are working together toward a positive solution for the future of the RELAC chilled water utility for the long term, and importantly to reassure you that season 2025 will be operational,” Innovative Mechanical Systems President David McAfee said in a March 30 message to customers.
With much of RELAC’s equipment dating back to 1965, McAfee’s company is in process of replacing its four lift pumps, which pull the water out of Lake Anne, with “newer and more efficient pumps,” he said. After starting last season with just one working chiller, the contractor repaired two and replaced the fourth, which had cracked.
In his message, McAfee said he hopes to improve RELAC by introducing an updated software program that will enable customers to pay bills, schedule maintenance and call for service via a mobile app. Innovative Mechanical Systems could also provide direct contracts for HVAC-related preventative maintenance.
“This would allow us to offer discounted, trustworthy services to the RELAC customers year-round by people that you already know and trust,” he said.
McAfee said he hopes to provide more updates to customers “in the very near future.” Waddell didn’t respond by press time to a request for comment, including on how long it might take for the ownership transfer process to be complete.
“We are happy to have been a part of rebuild and restoration of the chilled water cooling system with Spring RELAC and RELAC Water Cooling,” McAfee said. “We are very excited to be able to continue this work and grow with the Spring RELAC community.”
