Easy Energy has installed 600 solar thermal collectors on carports at the Fellowship Square senior living centre at Tucson, Arizona. The system will meet a sizeable portion of the centre’s energy demand which consists of 615 units serving over 650 residents. It includes collectors for domestic water eating at each of the four residential buildings as well as 2 of the 5 heated swimming pools.
“The management of energy costs and the HVAC equipment required to create a comfortable living environment for our residents is a major focus of our Operations Team,” said George Ortega, Executive Director. “The addition of the solar water heating system eases the heating burden on our boiler equipment and reduces natural gas costs. This is a long term solution that is more sustainable and more economical for our facility.”
Easy Energy also added 17,000 gallons of hot water storage via heat exchange tanks to maximise the amount of daytime solar energy collected, thereby allowing the heat to be used after sunset. The existing boilers will supplement the solar heating whenever it cannot meet demand.
“Solar water heating is a solid and proven technology, not just in our sunny Arizona climate, but throughout the world,” added Brian Bartel, President of Easy Energy and lead Project Manager, “Our installation staff has enjoyed hearing the comments of the residents, many of whom shared their stories of using solar water heating in their own homes in years past. Although some of the controller technology has improved in recent years, the basic premise of transferring solar sunlight to water has endured and will continue to serve as a renewable energy source for years to come.”
Easy Energy is a registered solar company based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a state-wide clientele. It has designed and installed at least 40 commercial solar energy systems since 2008 including organisation of paperwork in order to enable customers to receive applicable rebates, tax incentives, building permits and financing.
Further information:
