CASE STUDY: Commercial Solar Pool and Solar DHW SystemThe El Cid Mega Resort in Mazatlan, Mexico features 1,200 suites and guest rooms in addition to five pools covering more than 40,000 square feet.

Heliocol manufactures and distributes the industry’s highest-performing solar products for commercial and residential applications. Founded in 1977, Heliocol maintains its position as the world’s largest manufacturer of solar pool heating systems.

Challenge:To devise an economic, sustainable method of heating five pools at the El Cid Mega Resort in the winter while meeting the resort’s domestic hot water needs during the summer. In 1993, the resort was spending $700 per day on diesel fuel during the winter months to heat pools covering more than 40,000 square feet.

Solution:Heliocol designed a system using 25,000 square feet of Heliocol solar pool collectors covering more than 120 me-ters of pipe run. Because all pool filtering equipment was in the basement of the resort, a 15 horsepower booster pump

Industry: Hospitality

Project Type: Solar Pool Heating and Solar DHW

www.umasolar.com1-800-79-SOLAR950 Sunshine Lane Altamonte Springs, FL 32714

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was installed to deliver 200 gallons per minute of pool water to the roof. Feed water introduced into the sys-tem at 75°F returned to the pool, after a single pass, at 89.6°F with no pool cover. The system was designed to be purged of all pool water at the end of the winter sea-son to prepare for the resort’s domestic hot water needs. By valving, the sclar loop was switched from pool water to city-supplied water. The city water is preheated by the Heliocol panels to between 82°F and 106°F, supplying more than 50 percent of the resort’s hot water needs.

Results:Based on the local cost of diesel fuel at that time (U.S. $1.00 per gallon), the full utilization of the Heliocol system had a payback period of less than 18 months, saving the resort hundreds of thousands of dollars annu-ally. Due to the success of the system, and the potential for greater energy savings for the resort, an additional 18,000 square feet of panels were ordered for installa-tion the following year making it one of the largest solar pool heating systems in the world.

After Heliocol Panel InstallationReturn on Investment: Less than 18 Months

Direct Outcomes

Installed System Size 25,000 Sq Ft of Heliocol Solar Panels

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Pool Surface Area 40,000 Sq Ft