Posts Tagged ‘Carbon Footprint’

SunWater Solar and San Francisco Apartments

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

SunWater Solar was recently featured in San Francisco Apartment Magazine in an article describing solar water heating systems that we designed and installed in three San Francisco apartment buildings. The owner of the apartment buildings, Linda Erkelens, describes in the article why she decided to invest in solar thermal technology and why she chose SunWater Solar over other companies that bid on the projects.

“I chose SunWater because they specialize in the field [solar thermal technology]. I wanted someone up to date in the technology,” explained Linda, who also appreciated SunWater’s daily updates on the progress of the installation.

San Francisco has a brilliant opportunity to significantly reduce greenhouse gases by focusing on multifamily buildings because there are so many of them in San Francisco.  SunWater Solar is proud to contribute to this effort and hopes that more apartment buildings will adopt solar water heating as a way to reduce their carbon footprint and their energy bills while also attracting new tenants.

Solar Water Heating For Universities

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Universities across America and around the world are adopting solar water heating in their efforts to go green, reduce their carbon footprint, and save money.  Solar hot water can be used to supply hot water to dorms, food service facilities, laundries, and sports facilities, all of which use significant quantities of hot water.

Appalachian State recently installed a system to supply hot water to its student union and Yale University is using solar hot water in a LEED Platinum building on campus.  SunWater Solar is excited to see solar water heating on campuses and expects that more and more universities will follow the lead of these two schools.

Solar Water Heating For Hotels

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

There are a growing number of hotels across the US that are going green and doing their part to reduce their carbon footprint.  One of the best ways for hotels and other places of lodging to go green is by using the renewable energy of the sun to heat their water.   Because hotels typically use a  large amount of hot water, solar water heating systems are a perfect match for their needs and the number of hotels moving to solar water heating systems is growing everyday all across the country.

SunWater Solar specializes in commercial solar water heating systems and can work with hotels, motels, and inns across California to go solar to heat their water.   As energy prices increase,  rebates and tax credits grow more common, and financing programs come on line, we expect to see many more hotel guests enjoying hot water provided by the sun.

Solar Water Heating and Life Cycle Costing

Friday, December 4th, 2009

Hayes 1When considering the purchase of a solar water heating system, it is important to consider Life Cycle Costing as opposed to just the simple payback of a system.   Solar water heating systems are designed to last for many years and if you just look at the time it takes to recover your initial investment through your energy savings you miss out on the long term financial benefits of the system.

It is true that a solar water heating system will cost more than a traditional water heating system when it is first purchased.   But have you considered the cost of the energy that will go into operating the traditional hot water heating system over its operating years?  If you take that cost into account plus the inflation of energy prices, a traditional water heating system looks very costly compared to a solar water heating system that will pay for itself and bring you energy savings for years to come.

Bob Ramlow, a noted expert on solar water heating, gives an excellent summary of life cycle costing as well as his take on how you can go solar for free hot water.   And don’t forget that a homes value increases by $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills according to The Appraisal Journal.  So a solar hot water system that saves $200 per year would add $4,000 to the value of the home.

So instead of paying the utility company for the energy to heat your water, why not invest that same money in a solar water heating system from SunWater Solar that can bring you excellent financial returns? And you can feel good about your investment because you are cutting down your carbon footprint and doing your part to save the environment.