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Inn at Big White

Location:

Big White Ski Resort, Kelowna, BC

Facility Info:

  • Rooms: 99
  • Outdoor Pool: 17 ft. 26 ft. with 80,000 liters of water
  • Outdoor Hot Tub: diameter 9.0 ft. with 10,000 liters of water
  • Gas Consumption: 8,181 GJ per Year

System Info:

  • Solar System: 24 solar collectors with 72 m2 (775 sq. ft.)
  • Heat Pump: Ground source Heat Pump (geothermal) 75 t


How the system works:

Our hybrid systems are using every bit of solar energy we can collect and elevating it with the heat pump. Our absorption is better and with less line losses because the glycol in the panels is colder. If there isn't a simultaneous demand for the solar heat energy, then it is stored in the ground loop for later use that evening. It is also stored in the rock over the summer when we will collect more than is required. In short, we are getting a lot more energy and value out of the solar panels than if they were just high grade heating domestic hot water. The ground loop assists, but would not carry the load without the solar panels and would freeze up. The ground loop is acting more as a battery for the free heat collection than as a heat source.

System benefits:

  • Savings per year: $80,000
  • Pay back time: 8 years
  • Funding: $27,000 (NRCan REDI refund)
  • Increased Value: $500,000

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