On-base pool goes solar

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt Andrea Thacker
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE --  The Moody indoor pool is going high tech in an effort to save money and protect the environment by converting to solar energy to heat its water.

Using solar panels to heat the pool is uses a more efficient energy source reduces the need for fossil fuels, which in turn helps Moody reach it's federally mandated reduction goals.

"Energy reduction and conservation have become priority items to save money throughout the Department of Defense," said John Mitchell, 23rd Wing Civil Engineer Squadron. 

"We have been directed to reduce utility costs two percent annually, energy consumption three percent annually and water consumption two percent annually."

The indoor pool, constructed in 1941, has undergone many renovations over the years. The existing natural-gas boiler system was installed in 2000 and cost approximately $30,000 a year to heat pool water. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the cost of natural gas is expected to increase as consumer consumption continues to rise.

"The old system was proving to be very expensive," said Robert Montgomery, 23rd Wing CES energy manager. "It cost the base nearly $4,200 a month in the winter and $500 a month in the summer. Solar heating is free energy so we decided to take advantage of this instead of paying a large monthly natural-gas bill."

The new system uses over 4,000 square feet of solar panels to produce a million British Thermal Units of heat energy. A BTU is the amount of energy needed to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.

The panels have small tubes in which water passes through, absorbing the sun's heat. The pool filtration system pumps pool water through these solar collectors, and the collected heat is transferred directly to the pool water.

The total project cost approximately $105,500. The new solar heating system will reduce the monthly heating bill by 50 to 60 percent; an annual savings of $20,000, allowing the project to possibly pay for itself within five years.

The solar heating system saves energy, reduces utility costs, and produces clean energy by using the sun as a renewable energy source, said Mr. Montgomery. "It is free energy."