After 3-years of discussions with the management team and owners at Cedar Lodge in El Portal, CA, they decided to go forward with a solar pool heating system on their indoor pool. The cost of fossil fuel – in this case propane – was getting “very expensive” to quote Barry Brouillette, Vice President, Yosemite Management Group which manages Cedar Lodge. He added that “when you are located on the edge of one of the most pristine natural areas in the United States, Yosemite National Park, you tend to be very environmentally sensitive, but we also liked cutting our costs too.” He estimates he has cut energy costs by 60% to 70% and his carbon footprint around the same amount. Yosemite Management Group is so pleased they will be adding solar to their outdoor pool at Cedar Lodge, which has never been heated, and reviewing going solar at their other facilities, too.
The Cedar Lodge installation is beautiful project as you can see with 22 collector coverage for the indoor pool and 6 collectors for the daytime heating of the spa. Even though the spa is open 24 hours, the solar system operating during the daylight hours has reduced the heating bill dramatically. The installer faced other challenges in the cool valley temperatures and the shortened sunlight hours caused by the surrounding mountains. The lodge, elevation 3,000 feet, is nestled in the shadows of El Capitan, elevation 7,300 feet!
In the end, the Cedar Lodge folks were able to save even more money by leasing the project and taking full advantage of available tax credits.