www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
CarbonFootprint DEC 2010 SPN
71 –MORE CAN BE DONE
water heat pumps ranging in size from 43kW to 140kW.
Providing heated water for pools without the need for supplementary heating, the units have a minimum operating ambient temperature of 7°C, with the Pro-Pac Reverse cycle system capable of operating in temperatures as low as -15°C. In addition, Golden Coast supplies Calorex Variheat and Delta commercial integrated
environmental control systems that create the perfect cycle, using heat recovery technology to regenerate extracted warm air from the pool hall that is then used to maintain the temperature of the pool water. This, in turn, reduces energy demand and the need for duplicating air control systems. Both the Delta 14 and 16 have been recognised as compliant to the UK government’s Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme that allows 100% write-off against taxable profits.
Looking up – towards the sun – is Golden Coast’s own ‘Sunburst’ solar- tube system, the most efficient solar energy system that captures free energy from the sun, even on cloudy days.
The insulating effect of the evacuated tube technology, which creates a vacuum around the heat pipe, means that temperatures of up to 250°C can be reached inside the copper pipe, far more than traditional black solar panels. Using this superheat it is possible to heat and maintain pool water temperature of 28°C from June to September without any other source of heating.
Calorex control systems create the perfect cycle to reduce energy demand
Grants are also available from the Carbon Trust when solar power is used to heat commercial pools. And finally – ‘SolarPro’ is a revolutionary simple ‘put anywhere’ solar swimming pool heater that can be installed, either singly or in series, on any above-ground pool to harness the power of the sun to raise and maintain pool water to a warm, comfortable swimming temperature. Once the season is over, the portable unit is simply disconnected, drained and stored until the next year.
Brian Andrews, Managing Director of Heritage Pools Ltd has made it clear: “Many leisure operators think they need to go the whole way and install a complete eco pool, which is essentially a specially constructed pond and not an appealing option for everyone,” commented Andrews, “but you can make many green choices in the design of swimming pools that can help reduce the resulting carbon footprint.”
“Pool heating is the number one area where greener choices can be made. The majority of pools are heated solely by oil or gas which is a big no if you want to go green. Instead think about supplementing the heating through solar powered heaters or installing alternative heating options such as ground source heat pumps, which is where a 60m hole is bored into the ground to tap into the natural thermal currents that exist at this depth, or consider an air to water heat pump where heat is taken from the surrounding air or a water to water heat pump where heat is taken from surrounding water and converted to heat for the pool. We also always recommend that a client installs insulation into the pool walls and floor to conserve heat and reduce heating bills.
“The majority of swimming pools are heated to around 30°C or more which is considered to be the comfortable temperature,” says Andrews, “however to reduce your usage of gas and oil, switch your pool temperature down a degree or two and make sure you use an insulated pool cover to conserve heat when the pool is not in use.”
Reducing travel miles can lower your carbon footprint, so think about where the materials come from. “For example, rather than choosing Brazilian slate, consider Cumbrian slate, the quality and range is just as good, and the travel distance is cut by thousands of miles,” commented Andrews. The message over carbon reduction is coming from specialist manufacturers but pool owners large and small are still being targeted by the Government with incentives to ‘think green’.
The Carbon Trust has urged swimming pool companies to apply for interest free loans of up to £200,000. A £31m pot is available for small businesses to reduce their carbon footprint – helping them to buy the energy-saving equipment that can cut costs as well as help them to take action on climate change.
The Carbon Trust loans are unsecured, interest-free and repayable over a period of up to four years and help small businesses upgrade to more energy efficient equipment in the most cost-effective way – reducing energy bills and cutting their carbon footprint.
Swimming pool owners in the UK have again been contacted through a direct mail campaign intended to increase take up of grants available for energy efficiency measures through the Heat Project (
www.heatproject.co.uk). The contact is a result of increased funding by utility companies under the Government led initiative, CERT (Carbon Emissions Reduction Target), and an effort to capitalise on the emergent green conscience as a result of greater media coverage and awareness of the environment and global warming issues. The direct mail drive is an attempt to reinforce the issue of energy efficiency in swimming pools and the ease in which owners can make a significant improvement to the UK’s carbon emissions and carbon footprints.
The Government’s CERT initiative has increased the availability of funding to such insulation schemes.
The challenge, therefore, is to heat swimming pools efficiently, cheaply and in an environmentally friendly way. spn
i FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
F GAFFEY TECHNICAL SERVICES LTD ( 01706 233627 :
www.DesoClenz.co.uk F GOLDEN COAST ( 01271 378100 :
www.goldenc.com F HEATSAVER ( 01737 271879 :
www.heatsaver.co.uk F PLASTICA ( 01424 857802 :
www.plasticapools.net
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...manufacturers and suppliers of specialist energy saving products still believe there is a lot more to be achieved from taking a stronger line on marketing the carbon reduction theme to pool owners”
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