The chief function of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute Central Heating and Power Plant is to provide steam for heating the various building: on the campus. The plant also furnishes the campus and the community of Blacksburg with a portion of their power requirements, the campus with hot water, and the college laundry with soft water The basic function of the plant, however, is the generation cf steam to be used for heating most of the buildings located on the oampus.The electric energy is generated as a by-product of the basic heating function of the plant. / Master of Science