News story –
SolarUS, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of evacuated tube solar collectors for residential and commercial use is providing 70 solar thermal collectors for the Gaylord Hospital solar thermal hot water project.
The rooftop panels will feed into a 3,750-gallon storage tank, from which hot water will be distributed throughout the building.
Gaylord Hospital on 500 acres of countryside in Wallingford, CT, received a $323,000 grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) for a solar thermal hot water system in August 12th.
Mark Vere, Director of Facilities at Gaylord Hospital led the application process on behalf of the hospital as part of an initiative to implement a long-term strategy designed to reduce Gaylord’s dependence on heating oil.
With a guarantee of 15 years, SolarUS evacuated tube collectors are designed for all year, high performance in the very areas that experience cold weather conditions. The vacuum forms a thermos effect so that the tubes are virtually unaffected by outside temperatures. In addition, the collectors work off of sunlight and not heat from the sun so, even in the extreme cold conditions the collectors will still produce 160 degrees Fahrenheit of water temperature.
Consulting Engineering Services (CES), the Legacy Mechanical Group (LMG) and Munger Construction will provide design-build services for the $550,000 project that will begin this fall. This system will reduce the annual hot water needs of the facility by an estimated 65%, according to the companies.