Cut costs by harnessing outdoor heat with a SolarWall |
| Released on Sep 21 2011 |
| SolarWall News >> Media |
Source: The Globe and Mail Published By: Rasha Mourtada
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Think of the biggest energy cost for a typical Canadian business – one running multiple computers and keeping the lights on at all hours. It’s electricity, right? Wrong.
“People think of electricity first but actually, in Canada, indoor heating is the largest use of energy,” says Victoria Hollick, vice-president of renewable energy firm Conserval Engineering in Toronto. “Given that [we use] heat seven months of the year, that represents a tremendous use of energy.”
Reducing energy consumption is a goal for every Canadian business, both large and small, because of the obvious financial advantages and a desire to demonstrate an eco-friendly business ethic in an increasingly green world.
Conserval has been working to address this concern since 1977, when it was launched with a focus on providing energy retrofits for large industrial buildings.
In the 1990s, Conserval introduced its proprietary technology, called SolarWall. “We created this entire technology genre,” says Ms. Hollick. “Solar air heating would not exist if it weren’t for us.”
Their system uses solar radiation to heat the boundary layer on the surface of a metal wall. The heated air is then drawn through tiny perforations into an air cavity, where it is moved through ducting into the building’s heating and ventilation system.
Preheating ventilation air in this way saves businesses between 20 and 50 per cent on their heating costs...
Article continued on The Globe and Mail website
Last changed:Sep 21 2011
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