FEATURED PROJECT: OSCEOLA MIDDLE SCHOOL: OSCEOLA, WISCONSIN
Energy Concepts designed and Steiner Plumbing and Heating installed this 32 panel solar thermal system for the Osceola School District in Osceola, Wisconsin. (See PDF.) Located on a middle school housing three separate community pools, the system is designed to provide heat to each different pool as needed, and, when holding excess capacity, to then feed heat to the domestic hot water system.
Featured in a case study by Michael Vickerman of Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy, the system should pay for itself in ten years or less, thus over the next decades, saving the school district a considerable amount of tax revenue.
In addition, the solar panels, piping, pumps and sensors provide an almost unlimited educational opportunity for the district’s young students. With the digital monitoring devices, classes will be able to track the system’s performance in real time.
In addition, Osceola has been able to parlay this first venture into renewables into a larger success story: they were one of ten communities in Wisconsin to be selected for a unique Energy Independent Communities grant, putting them out front in the quest to move beyond dependence on fossil fuels and Middle Eastern despots.
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ECONOMICSInitial Cost: $170,000 IMPACTEnergy Saved: 3612 therms annually |
SPECIFICATIONSSize: 1280 square feet MANUFACTURER |
