Overprovisioning to ensure demand is met in the worst case also sounds like a very early-20th-century sort of design decision; that could be part of it!
"engineering manuals from the 1920s dictated that radiators and boilers be manufactured large enough for 'the coldest day of the year, with the wind blowing, and the windows open.'" (!)
Here's an interesting article about Spanish flu and radiators: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-02-17/our-indis...
"engineering manuals from the 1920s dictated that radiators and boilers be manufactured large enough for 'the coldest day of the year, with the wind blowing, and the windows open.'" (!)