About Us

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We are a private utility regulated by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) Division of Utility Regulation.  SCC approves our rules of operation, rates, and tariffs. 

We supply chilled water to over 600 residences and commercial properties throughout the original Reston First Village and surrounds, including Coleson Cluster, Governors Square, Wainright Cluster, Washington Plaza, Hickory Cluster, Waterview Cluster, and the condominiums of Vantage Hill and Heron House. The plant and pump house is in Washington Plaza, along the banks of Lake Anne.  

The chilled water plant operates 24 hours a day from May 22 through October 9th. We start chilled water service early if there are two consecutive days of temperatures 80-degrees Fahrenheit or greater in May.  Our service provides chilled water to the lot line, as referenced in the Reston Association First Deed of Amendment to the Deeds of Dedication Section VI.2 (b)(15).   

The system has over 18 miles of underground closed loop piping throughout the service area to deliver the chilled water to property lot lines and return water to the plant. The water for the RELAC cooling system is domestic water, and separate from your main water supply. This cooling water is in a closed loop system that circulates from our plant where it is cooled and then fed back to the homes and small businesses. Instead of a cooling tower water for plant machines, Lake Anne is used to help cool off the plant machines that run the RELAC system. Water from Lake Anne does not go to homes.

Our commitment to this community goes beyond providing chilled water service.  We are proud to be part of the original Lake Anne Village and Reston’s history, as the operator of “the world’s first centralized air conditioning system.”   It means a lot to us that our community is focused on nature and environmental sustainability. Just as important to us is that we provide an equal opportunity for cooling our homes, keeping our neighbors comfortable, and being good stewards of resources.  

Image Caption:  " Seven-year-old Deborah Scurlock, one of the youngest new Reston residents, helps developer Robert E. Simon turn on the world's first community air conditioning system at Reston's Lake Anne Village. They are opening a gate valve that sent chilled water through underground pipes to cool homes and shops in the entire community"   - The Evening Star, Washington DC, Friday, June 18, 1965