Solar Hot Water – Car Wash Facilities • Earth Energy Innovations • Solar Installations Throughout Central PA

Solar Hot Water – Car Wash Facilities

The Challenge:

On a busy day a typical 6-bay self-serve car wash can use upwards of 4,000 gallons of hot water. Assuming an annual usage of one million gallons of 120°F hot water per year; the annual hot water energy cost, if using propane or electricity, could exceed $15,000.

In addition to their cost, traditional energy sources such as electricity and fossil fuels contribute to the ongoing problem of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental concerns raised by the harvesting procedures used to obtain the fuels themselves.

What If:

What if a car wash cold invest in "green" technology that reduced its environmental impact in addition to locking in hot water costs at competitive pricing for the next 20 years? What if, in addition to a clean car, customers were able to take away the satisfaction of having used a clean process?

The Process:

Car wash facilities across the nation are adding solar thermal water heating technology to their energy-saving initiatives. Solar Thermal is capable of capturing two to three times the energy of its cousin technology, Solar Electric (PV) and evacuated-tube technology as installed by Earth Energy Innovations, (EEI) provides higher water temperatures and superior cold weather performance as compared to traditional flat-plate collector technology. Even if the structure does not have ideal orientation for collector installation, EEI will likely be able to adapt a mounting assembly to enhance hot water output (see photo-top right).

The Solution:

Hot water enhances customer satisfaction as it facilitates the cleaning process during the soap/wash cycles. Individual car wash facilities will have varying patterns of hot water usage depending on the type of operation (self-serve, automatic, etc.), climate, owner preference, and technology. At no cost to the facility, a qualified EEI professional will visit the car wash for a site visit, verifying the actual equipment and facility characteristics as well as reviewing the operation’s energy costs over the past 12 months. Of special importance will be the current profile of energy sources as well as the efficiency of the water heating equipment. Once the site visit is completed, EEI will prepare a detailed Performance and Financial Analysis for the proposed project. At this point, the EEI representative will also propose a time line for the project.When both parties agree to the design, terms and costs, a contract is signed to engage EEI for a turn-key installation of the Solar Thermal system.

Case Study:

H&H Wire Products Car Wash

Located in Newport, PA this facility has 4 self-service bays and one automatic tunnel. Prior to the installation of a Solar Thermal System, the car wash relied solely on propane as the energy source for their hot water heating. A 10-collector evacuated-tube array was mounted on the west-facing roof of the car wash. A somewhat non-traditional mounting approach was used in order to obtain the necessary south-facing orientation.The array feeds a 512-gallon storage tank which delivers the heated water to the preexisting water heater.The closed loop system uses a non-toxic propylene glycol solution as the heat transfer liquid which circulates through the collectors and a heat exchanger inside the storage tank.

The Solar Thermal System will produce the energy equivalent of 47,000 kWhrs annually, translating to over 1,600 gallons of propane saved with a life expectancy of 20 years!