System designed to heat pool, save energy and money

An array of 48 solar panels is now installed on the roof of the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building at the University of Arkansas. The solar heating system will provide over half of the energy needed to heat the building’s Olympic-sized swimming pool, which is heated year around.

The 1,920-square-foot solar hot water array on the roof is connected to a heat exchanger that provides supplemental heat to the pool. The system is designed to provide all of the heat for the water in the 730,000-gallon pool during the summer and to pre-heat water on cloudy days and in the winter. The solar panels harvest over 2 million BTUs of heat energy per day. The system is expected to reduce utility bills in the HPER Building significantly while cutting greenhouse gas emissions by about 30 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.

The HPER solar installation is part of the campuswide RazorsEDGE energy savings program, which enables the university to invest in energy conservation and renewable energy projects. The university has a $23.9 million energy savings performance contract with Energy Systems Group, an energy services provider. The RazorsEDGE program is designed to reduce annual energy consumption in buildings across campus, with a guarantee that energy savings over a 13-year period that will cover the cost of all building improvements.

Energy Systems Group is the general contractor for RazorsEDGE and partnered with Sun City Solar Commercial Energy LLC, which designed and installed the innovative solar panel heating system on the HPER Building.

“Solar heating is ideal for swimming pool applications,” said John Gerrard, GM for Sun City. “It’s a relatively low temperature requirement and can take advantage of solar radiation all year.”

Nick Brown, the University of Arkansas director for campus sustainability, said that this solar thermal system matches a dependable solar resource to a constant energy demand.

“Because energy is needed year around to heat this pool to 80 degrees, we can take advantage of available solar energy in warm months as well as cool ones,” he said. “To our knowledge, this is the largest solar thermal energy system in the state of Arkansas. This project helps move us toward our goal of becoming a carbon neutral campus by the year 2040.”

Paul Gandy, construction manager for Energy Systems Group, said his company and Sun City worked seamlessly with the university to develop an innovative installation that will save energy and money, at the same time raising the profile of solar hot water systems as a viable alternative energy source for some applications.

The HPER Building and its pool are currently heated with a natural gas-fired steam system. Scott Turley, director of utilities for the university, estimates that the solar energy system will reduce the building’s energy bill by about $4,000 per year at today’s energy prices.

“Gas costs have fluctuated wildly over the past couple of years,” said Turley, “but if prices return to the level they were in spring 2008, we’ll save $10,000 per year or more.”

Last year the HPER Building pool had a total of 55,000 users. In addition to university students, faculty and staff, the pool is the site of collegiate and high school swim and dive meets, it serves as a practice facility for several swim clubs and teams, and it is used for swimming instruction, group exercise programs and entertainment, such as the popular “dive-in” movies at the pool.

The university’s College of Education and Health Professions, which includes academic programs for health science, kinesiology, recreation, and dance, manages the HPER Building operations. Intramural and recreational sports and fitness programs for campus users and alumni are also operated from the building.

The world has become so dependent on fossil fuels that no modern culture could survive without the limitless number of consumer goods that are made from fossil fuels.  Everything from fuel for automobiles, airlines, the trucking industry; products for businesses, hospitals and other institutions;  household goods, space exploration, agriculture, fishing, clothing, science and industry all depend on fossil fuels.  These products increase our dependence on foreign goods.

When Americans take advantage of the tax credits available for investing in solar energy, an increase in the conversion to a renewable energy source makes a difference to our planet.  There is no easy or short answer to energy.   If every household in the US installed a solar hot water heater, a solar electric power system, or a solar pool heater on their home, there would be a significant decrease in the amount of carbon dioxide and other pollutants in the air.  Add the cumulative effect of using solar over the coming decades to replace the pollution generated by coal fired power plants, and there would be a phenomenal reduction of green house gases.

There are consequences if we ignore what is happening to our planet.  The spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a sad example.  Americans as a whole enjoy one of the best standards of living in the world.  We take for granted the comforts afforded by our high standard of living. Many people do not see a problem with our current energy use and are not concerned about the state of the environment.  Those that are concerned feel they can do little to improve the quality of our air, land and water.  At what point should we, as inhabitants of the planet, make an effort to allow our progeny to enjoy a quality of life that does not include the increase of environmentally induced disease, destruction of our natural habitats, extinction of species, rampant overproduction of invasive species, contaminated food and polluted water? 

If you look at the global picture, it can seem overwhelming, and the prospect for change seems slim.  But you CAN make a real difference.  You can invest in a solar water heater, a solar electric system, a solar pool heater, even a solar electric attic fan.  All of these things make a difference to your community, your state, our country and to the planet as a whole. Thoughtful consumerism and changes to our lifestyles can make a difference.  Investing in clean solar energy will make a difference.

If we all do our part, we will be able to maintain our lifestyle and allow the natural world to thrive.  Visit SunCityEnergy.com  to learn how you can save money and help our future generations by owning a Sun City Solar  Energy System.

Spring is the time for Easter and new beginnings.  The long winter is over, flowers are in bloom and there is a feeling of renewal in the air.  We all hope the Easter Bunny will come out of his rabbit hole and see his shadow, meaning we will not have any more days below 45 degrees.   OK, so perhaps I’m exchanging one rodent for another, but I’d much rather see a cute bunny pop out of his winter lair than a groundhog.  And I don’t know about you, but isn’t February 2^nd a bit early to predict the end of winter anyway?

The advent of sunshine and warmer days should lead to thoughts of caring for Mother Earth.  The Tulsa, Oklahoma area is called “Green Country,” a tribute to all the trees, bushes and flowers we all enjoy.  Several organizations, like the Arbor Day Foundation, encourage planting trees to replace the ones removed to make way for “progress.”  One of the best ways to show respect for our planet is to add a solar system to your home or business.  A solar hot water system, considered the most viable solar application for most families, would save 7,200 pounds of CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide) and other greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere and is the equivalent of planting one acre of trees.  If you’ve already invested in solar, you can visualize all those trees surrounding your home, making the air and our planet a better place for everyone.

Earth Day is April 22. Why not do something special for yourself, the earth and generations to come by investing in a solar energy system?   Solar is clean, non-polluting, and uses free energy from the sun.  To encourage you to hop on by our showroom in Tulsa for a free quote, you will receive a free gift.  Find out how you can be kind to the earth, own your own utility company and get a tax credit in your Easter basket, courtesy of the Federal government.

There is still time to take advantage of our $200 discount on a solar pool heater. Click or call Sun City Solar at (866) 407-0527 and start saving today!