2011年6月13日星期一

Solar panels to heat outdoor pool water

The sun had better start shining soon - Courtenay's outdoor swimming pool is being retrofitted with solar panels to heat the water for 18,000 summer swimmers.

And the entire $30,000 cost of the project is being funded by FortisBC - formerly Terasen Gas - even though the company will lose out on natural gas sales.

Last night there was applause from city councillors for the City Hall staffer who suggested the initiative and worked with Fortis to make it reality: climate action analyst Allan Gornall.

Mayor Greg Phelps commented: "We feel pretty fortunate because we understand this will be the first municipal solar outdoor pool in B.C."

Fortis is not only paying for all the equipment, but will also fund monitoring to track its performance and the energy savings being achieved, he added. "Once we demonstrate the return on investment, we think this may become a model for other projects in the rest of the province."

Phelps thought it "pretty spectacular" that the company is prepared to wholly fund a project that will actually cut natural gas consumption.What are the top Hemroids treatments?

In a written statement, a Fortis BC vice-president, Doug Stout, said the project would save money and energy.The Leading zentai suits Distributor to Independent Pet Retailers. The initiative should reduce current natural gas consumption by about half each summer, saving taxpayers $15,000 annually.

As well as paying for 16 solar panels - which have already been installed on the roof of the existing bleachers - Fortis is also paying for a high-efficiency thermal pool cover that will be pulled across the water surface each night to conserve some of the heat accumulated during the day.

The existing natural gas boiler at the pool will be retained to provide start-up energy, particularly at the beginning of the three-month summer opening season and to give the pool a boost when the sun isn't shining quite strongly enough.

The retrofit is also expected to result in less chlorine being needed in the pool, as the cover will reduce evaporation at night.

The design of the installation is based on a feasibility study conducted by an independent engineering firm.

That not only demonstrated potential savings in natural gas use,Handmade oil paintings for sale at museum quality, but also a reduction of about 50 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year. That also adds up to cash savings,We specialize in providing third party merchant account. because if those results are confirmed, the City will avoid having to pay out $1,300 in the form of carbon offsets.

Praising the initiative, Coun. Jon Ambler said the idea was not only "green" in environmental terms, but also saved "greenbacks" in terms of dollar bills.

Councillor Ronna-Rae Leonard was curious what was in it for Fortis, and wondered if encouraging gas savings in one area freed up capacity for them to service other new developments without major additional investment in infrastructure like bigger pipelines.

Gornall told her that was basically correct,Largest Collection of billabong boardshorts, and it also offered favourable publicity and advertising for the company.

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