In May we installed 8 Lava solar thermal units in a car wash in Idaho. The Lava units have a 50 gallon insulated non pressurized tank to store the energy collected during the day. The energy is then consumed heating the hot water for the car wash.
The energy can also be used in the winter to assist heating the radiant floor system for the car wash bays.
We also installed a Hi-bred water storage system in the mechanical room with a 95% efficient boiler. The project funding was assisted with the help of a USDA REAP Grant of 25% and a US Treasury Grant of 30%.
The owner of the car wash is very happy with the savings and performance of the system.
The car wash is able to turn the natural gas off in March and then turn the gas back on in October due to the increased energy heating the radiant floors.
