Ocean Lakes Family Campground, which was awarded the distinguished 2006 Governor’s Cup for its attitude of environmental awareness in introducing its iCare Program, recently installed a solar hot water heater as part of that program to determine the future use of solar hot water heaters in its campgrounds.

The single Apricus solar panel is installed on the roof of one of Ocean Lakes’ bathhouses, where it provides hot water for a full dozen shower stalls and sinks.

The Apricus solar water heater absorbs thermal energy from the sun and converts it into usable heat, which is absorbed by the water. Known as an evacuated tube solar collector, the Apricus panel can be used either to provide hot water for washing and bathing, or to supplement hot water heating or even cooling with the addition of an absorption chiller or dessicant water cooling unit.

Ocean Lakes, which also received the 2009-2010 Plan-It Green Award from the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds (ARVC) for iCare Program, will use the single Apricus solar panel to evaluate the future use and placement of other solar water heating devices around its 310 oceanfront acres comprising nearly a mile of beachfront containing 3,447 sites, including 893 large, pull-through, RV-accessible campsites.

Ocean Lakes will take advantage of substantial federal rebates to pay for the solar hot water system, but will use its evaluation of the cost- and conservation-effectiveness of the method to determine whether to install more to further reduce the campground’s carbon footprint.

As Ocean Lakes Vice President Lance Thompson notes, it’s important to be a good environmental steward, but it’s also important to run a successful business, so these are the two criteria the solar hot water system must meet to make it to the next phase.

Thompson and Ocean Lakes operators have already noticed that the solar hot water system provides an improved customer experience, as well as advancing water conservation at the site. Because the Apricus system provides immediately available hot water at a precise temperature – rather than cold running water followed by scalding water – campers do not have to let the water run or constantly adjust it to bathe, as occurred so often at the bathhouse in the past.

As far as the cost factor goes, two decades of solar hot water heating technology in use across the nation have shown this form of solar energy to be the most cost-effective compared to solar photovoltaic electricity. Not only have costs for these systems declined by 30 percent (between 1980 and 1990), with continuing lower costs driven by increasing demand, economies of scale, and improved technology, but the expenditure for a solar hot water system could save up to $500 in the first year of operation compared to an electric hot water heater.

Add to that the 30-percent credit from the stimulus, and state grants which often match or exceed the stimulus, and the payoff for solar hot water could be as little as two years, but typically less than seven years.

If the solar hot water proves successful, as most members of Ocean Lakes are sure it will, the mega-campground anticipates installing more solar hot water panels to assist its laundry operations, food service centers and pools – all as part of its award-winning iCare Program.