Highly efficient solar hot water systems reduce costs for New Hampshire’s hospitality industry.
Eastern Slope Inn Solar Thermal. All photos courtesy of Revision Energy.
By GET Staff
New Hampshire’s hospitality industry requires a lot of hot water to clean dishes, provide showers and keep swimming pools comfortable. In a state where many people spend their vacations, ReVision Energy has helped a number of local businesses maintain a financial competitive edge while curbing fossil fuel consumption.
Solar hot water (SHW) installations have helped this industry in the state. Some business that have chosen to use solar hot water to help them reduce their energy costs include the Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery, Inn at Sunset Hill, Purity Springs Resort, Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Company, The Common Man restaurant in Concord and the Eastern Slope Inn Resort.
Revision Energy of northern New England is behind helping these companies to achieve their goals. One of the Revision Energy’s larger projects is a system of 24 flat plate solar collectors and a custom-made 700-gallon hot water tank at Eastern Slope Inn Resort. On a sunny day, the resort’s system can raise the temperature of 700 gallons of water from 70 degrees to 160 degrees.
Gil Harris, chairman of Eastern Slope’s sustainability committee, has been named an “environmental champion,” the highest environmental designation by the state’s Sustainable Lodging and Restaurant Program. “The implementation of solar panels is reflective of the resort’s proactive commitment to incorporating best-in-practice green initiatives as they become available,” said Harris.
The solar company confirms that flat panel solar thermal collectors are over 90% efficient, producing substantially more heat per square foot than solar photovoltaic panels paired with an electric water heater. The collectors are an attractive solution for applications with large hot water loads, limited roof space or less-than-optimal roof orientations.
Flat plate collectors work by harnessing thermal energy from the sun. When the rooftop collectors are warmer than the water storage tank, a differential temperature controller activates a pump. The pump then circulates a non-toxic antifreeze mix up to the collectors and then down to the tank through a closed-loop system, never allowing the antifreeze to come in contact with the water supply. The heated fluid is then pumped to an insulated water storage tank where it passes through a heat exchanger. The cycle continues as long as the sun shines. A backup system is integrated to provide hot water in the absence of sunshine.
ReVision Energy has four locations throughout New Hampshire and Maine. For more information, visit revisionenergy.com or call (603) 801-6003.
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ReVision Energy has four locations throughout New Hampshire and Maine. For more information, visit revisionenergy.com or call (603) 801-6003.
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