Eglin Air Force Base Saves $24,000 with Solar Pool Heater

At Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, FL, the nearly 14,000 square foot pool is used for recruit training and exercise, as well as recreation and leisure for those stationed at the base and their families. But for facility operators, the cost of keeping the pool warm enough to use was costing the base upwards of several thousand dollars each month. Solar thermal was proposed as the most cost-effective alternative to the existing gas-powered boiler, and an invitation to bid went out.

Sean Gardner, owner of The Solar Guys / Compass Solar in Pensacola, FL, has been selling and installing the Ecosun Solar Pool Heating System in the Florida panhandle for over 10 years, with a number of large commercial projects under his belt. Sean’s experience and dedication to quality has helped him achieve the elite distinction of becoming an Ecosun Master Dealer. Though the Eglin installation would be his largest to date, Sean eagerly threw his hat in the ring for the project.

Sean explained to facility operators how his proposed design – an array of 164 black polypropylene collectors (often referred to as panels) – could dramatically reduce their operating costs by harnessing the sun’s free energy. Each collector is divided into just over 100 small tubes that water runs directly through.  As the pool water circulates through the collectors, over 1,000 BTUs of thermal energy per square foot are absorbed by the water before returning to the pool.

Based on Sean’s comprehensive solar pool heating payback analysis and experience, Compass Solar was awarded the bid.  The collectors were to be mounted on eight custom all-aluminum ground racks adjacent to the pool, ranging in size from 52’ long to as long as 104’ long.  The racks would then be anchored by 160 2’ x 4’ concrete footers poured using round forms, allowing it to withstand 140 mile-per-hour winds of three second gusts.

With the housing market stagnant and new pool construction still down, there has been a natural shift in most Dealers’ markets toward larger commercial pools and aquatic facilities.  “This was definitely the largest solar pool heating project we had ever taken on,” says Sean, “but thanks to my crew and everyone involved, it was also one of the most fun.”

When operational, the solar array is capable of heating over 650 gallons of pool water, per minute.  The system is expected to generate 5.9 million BTUs daily, offsetting approximately 1.7 Megawatts daily. Capable of consistently providing temperatures of 85 to 95 degrees from March to December, the system can be adjusted by raising or lowering a simple thermostat.  The collectors will be drained during the colder months to prevent freezing, and the existing gas-powered boiler will handle the heating load. This type of pool heating configuration is commonly referred to as a hybrid solar pool heater.

“The goal of the $177,175 project is to reduce gas consumption and up-keep on the existing boiler,” according to Pablo Cruz, of the 96th Civil Engineer Group. The solar heating system is expected to save the base $24,000 per year and should pay for itself in approximately seven years.

CSA International is a provider of product testing and certification services for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas and a variety of other products. Recognized in the U.S., Canada and around the world, CSA’s marks appear on billions of products worldwide. Aquatherm’s products have been verified under Class 8854-01 to CAN/CSA-F378 – “Unglazed, Water-heating, Flat-Plate Solar Collector.”

“Our hope is the addition of a CSA mark on Aquatherm’s two flagship products will serve to further differentiate ourselves and our Dealer network throughout North America,” said President/CEO Dave Sizelove. “Aquatherm Solar Pool Heaters are already the most tested and the most trusted in the industry and a CSA mark provides further assurance of quality and safety in the eyes of pool owners.”

The verification joins a long list of certifications and approvals on Aquatherm products, including the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), Solar Rating & Certification Corporation (SRCC), International Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), City of Los Angeles, and most recently National Sanitation Foundation Standard 50 (NSF-50) – a safety, durability, and toxicity standard required by commercial pools.

Owned and operated by AHRC, Camp Loyaltown is a private, nonprofit, summer camp which cares for children as young as 4 years old through adults in their 80’s who have developmental and other disabilities. Campers enjoy a variety of recreational activities including paddle-boating, arts and crafts, and swimming in the massive 9,000 square foot heated splash pool.

As a nonprofit, membership organization, AHRC needs to keep costs as low as possible, and heating a body of water 12-times the size of an average backyard pool with propane was not helping its cause. The camp had heard about other facilities using solar panels to heat their pool water, and contacted Rapp Construction Management forsome direction. Owner Joe Rapp brought in local Warwick, NY solar expert Pat Gallagher of Gallagher Solar as a consultant on the project.

Nicholas Pappas, Rapp Construction’s resident Sustainable Building Advisor, worked closely with Gallagher throughout every step of the system design process. Sized at 100 4’ x12’ collectors (4,800 square-feet of solar collector area), the system would be the largest of its kind in the region. Given the magnitude of the installation– his team’s largest to date –Gallagher enlisted the help of AIRegional Distribution Center Rich Bonte of Sun Source Energy Products (Netcong, NJ), who assisted in calculating the necessary flow rates, layout, and pump sizing in order to transfer as much heat as possible into the pool.

As in most public and commercial swimming pools, safety is always a top priority. Gallagher noted that, as the only solar pool heating systems certified to strict NSF-50 safety, durability, and toxicity standards, the Aquatherm name made it all the easier to satisfy the local Board of  Health’s requirements.

Patrick Gallagher of Gallagher Solar was very pleased with the outcome. “Camp Loyaltown’s forward-looking management is way ahead of the curve in their ongoing efforts to drive down the costs of fuel in every way possible.” This is our largest project to date, said Gallagher. “The camp is very happy with the system’s performance and is seeing the savings pile up. Fuel is certainly not getting any less expensive.”

With the cost of energy rising everyday, heating a pool with fossil fuels is a luxury most can no longer afford. But like AHRC, many smart commercial pool owners and operators are making the switch to solar, and enjoying all the benefits of a heated pool without the shock of the monthly utility bill.

Gallery:

With an ongoing push by the United States government to go green, most military installations start with their biggest energy hogs – in many cases an indoor swimming pool or aquatic training facility.  Heating an indoor pool consumes a massive amount of energy (since it receives no direct light from the sun) and can cost thousands of dollars a month to maintain a comfortable temperature.

The 2,400 square foot (270,000 gallons) Rinehart Indoor Pool at the Fort Sill Army post near Lawton, OK is utilized year-round by both military and civilian swimmers for general recreation, fitness, and training. The pool even plays host to regular “Learn to Swim” classes held for the families of the soldiers stationed there.  Keeping the pool at a comfortable temperature for all those swimmers cost upwards of several thousand dollars a month with the existing 630,000 BTU natural gas heater.  Facility management knew there had to be a more cost-effective way to keep the pool water warm.

SEI Group, the energy-efficiency consultant hired to research alternative means of heating the pool, didn’t take long to provide a recommendation to Rinehart.  The Group had heard good things about the 84-collector solar pool heating installation at the Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, GA – installed by Aquatherm Master Dealer & Distribution Center Suncatcher of Atlanta – and was certain the indoor pool at Fort Sill could benefit from the warmth of the sun, as well.  After Gerry Kilgore, President of Suncatcher, made the 2-hour drive to provide a bid, SEI and Fort Sill were convinced they had the right man for the job.

Suncatcher of Atlanta designed a custom rack to hold 135 Solar Industries Collectors, with a 41-degree tilt to maximize solar absorption in the winter months when the sun is highest in the sky.  With over 4,200 feet of 3” plumbing to move water to and from the collectors, the Rinehart Indoor Pool Solar Heating System will generate over 2.6 million BTUs every day – the equivalent of 278 MW every year – cutting annual heating costs by 47%.

Camp Loyaltown, whose mission is “to teach, support and advocate for children and adults with intellectual and other developmental disabilities,” had been heating their 9,000 square foot pool exclusively with propane. The camp administrators began seeking alternative methods of keeping the pool at a comfortable temperature for swimmers, without the massive heating bill every month. Gallagher showed the administrators how a solar pool heater is actually the most cost-effective use of solar energy on the planet, and discussed the 12-20 year lifespan of solar collectors – nearly 3 times that of gas or electric heaters.

The 4,800 square foot solar heating system is expected to reduce the cost of heating the pool, as well as overall operating costs dramatically, and will pay for itself in roughly 4 years. “Camp Loyaltown has the largest solar pool heating system that I am aware of in the region,” says Gallagher. “I’m proud to have been chosen to install this system for such a worthwhile and forward-looking organization. Solar pool heating is simple, and it works.”

Learn more about Pat’s company and see a portfolio of his installations by visiting www.solarthermalsolution.com.

Terravita is a well established north Scottsdale luxury golf development that takes pride in their ongoing green initiatives. The community is nestled into the Sonoran desert landscape at the southern base of Black Mountain with approximately 1380 homes, a beautiful clubhouse and an Olympic-size pool. In September 2008, Tim Horn and the club’s capital improvements committee began looking at the difference pool solar would make in reducing energy costs. With the assistance of Sun Systems, Inc., energy audits were performed with favorable results and the project was adopted into the board’s 2009 – 2010 capital improvement plan.

This almost football field long project is a dual purpose design serving as a shade structure over a 20’ wide walkway extending between pool community center and clubhouse. The corrugated metal roof with its south by southeast orientation is pitched at 17 degrees and supports 106 unglazed 4’ x 8’ pool solar collectors totaling 3,392 sq. ft. The balance of the structure is fabricated in metal with the exception of pre-existing decorative pillars supporting the trailing edge of the roof structure.

When the automated solar system goes active it produces more than 1.6 million Btu per day or approximately 588 million Btu per year. The system is expected to offset current natural gas usage by 37%, saving Terravita homeowners more than $22,000 per year. Local utility rebates from APS reduced the out of pocket cost by $17,242, resulting in a payback of just 2.5 years for the solar portion of the project. With the addition of the commercial pool covers that were also installed, savings over the life of the system are expected to be more than $690,000.

Click on the thumbnails to view larger:

This Gold Medal Installation is at the beautiful Rosarita Beach Hotel in Baja, Mexico. Rosarita Beach is located just south of Tijuana, on the Pacific Ocean, where they get a great deal of sun all year.  Despite the gorgeous weather and ideal conditions for the hotel, its 3200 sq. ft. pool never got over 78°F, especially since their boilers broke down several years ago. The pool was always a brisk swim when their guests were brave enough to take a dip.

Aquatherm Industries Master Dealer, Mark Naylor Solar Specialists of San Diego, California came to the hotel’s rescue. Mark Naylor has been a Master Dealer since 1995 and this is the first “outside the U.S.” pool he has heated. He found the experience to be unique only because of the border issues. “It was just like installing a solar heating system on a pool in Southern California except trying to get the collectors across the border”.  That feat, getting the collectors across the border, took days longer that the installation. His crew installed the Solar Industries Solar Pool Heating System in six hours. While they broke for a late lunch after completing the project, the pool temperature rose from 74° to 78°F. The hotel owners were very pleased because the pool has never seen that temperature in recent memory, and certainly not without the help of expensive oil to fuel the boilers. The owners of the hotel are very proud of their decision to use solar to heat their pool – you’ll notice the owners had Mark Naylor install the system in plain sight of the hotel guests.

The centralized pool hydraulics also presented Pat with another challenge. His unique approach was to design a system with four separate independent heating zones. This resulted in the filtration rates being identical whether the solar system is on or off.

Would Ameco Solar do a similar project again? “You bet,” says Pat Redgate, “It’s very nice to have some commercial projects to show a potential residential customer. It really adds credibility to your presentation.”

The college is extremely pleased with the operation of the solar pool heating system: “It is really working very well” says Gary Paulsen, head of facilities management at Southwestern. The energy services company who proposed the total energy savings project to Southwestern is happy as well. The payback on the pool heating system is so quick, it helped other portions of the project which made the total energy saving package more attractive to the school administration. The project’s first year savings alone is estimated to be 15% and significantly higher when the project is completely capitalized and funded. The energy services company will most certainly include solar pool heating in future projects.

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.

For over 40-years, Camp America Day Camp in Chalfont, Pennsylvania has been providing a place for local youth to spend their summers. Among the facility’s amenities is a 30’ x 60’ swimming pool, which the camp’s owners had left unheated for fear of high heating bills. After hearing the benefits of a solar pool heater, Camp America decided it was the most cost-effective way to give their campers more use from the pool.

The Camp’s owners contracted Solar Living, an Aquatherm Master Dealer since 1998, to install 18 Solar Industries SI-1500 Collectors on the nearby pool-house. The system is automatically-controlled by a Goldline Aquasol with digital temperature control and Hayward motorized diverter valves to operate the system.

“Heating two pools with one solar system not only takes full advantage of the sun’s free energy, it makes great economic sense as well.”

Steve Mitchell, one of the owners, noticed how well the solar heating system was working after just a few short days, and called Solar Living back to discuss solar-heating a pool on the opposite side of the pool-house as well. Richard Bonte of Solar Living had the novel idea to design a control system that would connect the two pools to one solar heating system. According to Bonte, “the system was performing so well the pool was getting up to temperature early in the day and the solar was turning off, even though there was lots of free energy still available. Now, the Camp has the option to switch the solar to whichever pool needs it.”

Bonte said while this is the first time Solar Living has heated two pools with one solar system, Mr. Mitchell and others at Camp America have reported the system is still performing above initial expectations. “Heating two pools with one solar system not only takes full advantage of the sun’s free energy, it makes great economic sense as well,” said Mitchell.