Photo Credit: Illustration courtesy of Symbiont Geo-Thermal
High energy costs and environmental concerns are mobilizing the aquatic industry to engineer more efficient ways to heat pool facilities. While gas, electric, boiler and heat exchanger technologies are making strides to enhance their efficiency, it appears that geothermal and solar alternatives are gaining public support and financial stimulus incentives.
Heat is naturally abundant from the sun, as well as within the earth. It is inexhaustible and renewable. Advanced technologies are underway to capture this abundance and divert it to heat aquatic facilities. It makes sense to tap into these resources to provide cleaner, greener facilities. Enhancing the aquatic facility with a renewable energy source does involve a cost, but the ability to capture the sun’s rays and earth’s water offers a substantial payback over the long run.
A Closer Look
Heat-pump use is gaining momentum at aquatic facilities because it effectively meets clean energy initiatives. Air-source heat pumps do not actually burn energy to create heat--they only use energy to transfer heat from the outside air to the pool water. Geothermal heat pumps extract heat from ground wells, earth loops, surface water or cooling towers. The energy is absorbed and collected from underground. With the utilization of a heat exchanger, the heat is transferred to the pool water. While this is not a fast heat--as one would gain from a traditional gas (fossil fuel) heating system--the heat from a geothermal heat pump is available year-round.