New solar pool heater saves Sanibel money and energy

The same sun that attracts tourists and residents to the island paradise is saving the Sanibel Recreation Center thousands of dollars each year. The only public pool on Sanibel has 80 panels to absorb the sun's heat to help provide enjoyment all year long. The job was designed and installed by Advance Solar and Spa, a solar contractor based in Fort Myers.

"This installation will save money and the environment for the City of Sanibel and its residents," says Aaron Fields, a third generation partner in the Advance Solar, founded in 1983. "Sanibel is highly regarded for its environmental policies, so using solar to offset their carbon emissions while lowering their energy bills is only natural."

The solar water heating system was part of a 2007 renovation of the Sanibel Recreation Center. In addition to a 31,000 square foot facility and tennis courts, residents and visitors of Sanibel can enjoy a water slide, splash pad and swimming lanes. The two pools will be heated by 80, 4 x 12-foot black panels facing south to maximize exposure to the sun year round and supplemented by heat pumps during cloudy days.

The installation even qualifies for a state rebate. Fields estimates that the City of Sanibel will be able to save 50 percent of its pool heating costs. While this is a large job for the company, The Sanibel Recreation Center project is still smaller than the 274 panels Advance installed for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

This is not the only pool on Sanibel to have solar heating. Sanibel Surfside, Sanibel Arms West and Blue Gulf Condominiums are just a few of the locations on Sanibel that enjoy warm water thanks to the subtropical sun. Fields says that the panels can even be used at night to keep a lap pool from getting too hot in the summer, an important feature to competitive swimmers.