 | |||
 | |||
ReVision Energy Newsletter - May | |||
| |||
|
The Hospitality Industry Maine summers thrive with tourists from all over the world seeking to experience the pristine coastal landscape, feast on the abundance of seafood, and enjoy the historic New England culture. The hospitality industry is an essential part of Maine's economy. According to the Maine Planning Office "the economic impact of tourism in Maine is huge. In 2006 it generated roughly $10 billion in sales of goods and services, 140,000 jobs, and $3 billion in earnings." To ensure a sustainable future for the hospitality industry, lodging and restaurant owners are starting to take measures to mitigate their energy consumption and CO2 emissions. For example, it takes an average of 2.4 gallons of hot water to prepare each meal served in a restaurant. Michael Boland, owner of Rupununi's Restaurant in Bar Harbor, is using a solar hot water system to reduce oil consumption. "Our oil bill has been dramatically reduced since we put in the system," say Boland, who subsequently had solar hot water installed at his other restaurant, Guiness & Porcelli's. "From an investment standpoint, solar hot water is a very wise one for restaurant owners. Usually you buy equipment and hope it lasts 5-10 years, and hope that the new piece increases efficiency enough to sort of pay its way. But with these (solar) panels, the savings have been obvious." Green initiatives can be a powerful marketing tool to distinguish a lodging facility or restaurant from its competition. As consumers are more aware of how their purchasing power can enact change, they are demanding that businesses they support be mindful and supportive of their environment. Scott Cowger, owner of Maple Hill Farm B&B in Hallowell, has invested heavily in renewable energy systems to make his facility one of the first to earn recognition as an Environmental Leader in Maine. The state Environmental Leader program certifies businesses that meet a certain criteria, i.e. energy efficient upgrades, use of non-toxic cleaning products, and the implementation of renewable energy. The Innkeepers can use the state's Environmental Leader logo for marketing purposes and consumers seem to be taking notice. Cowger estimates that 20 percent of his customers chose Maple Hill Farm because of the inn's green practices. Maple Hill Farm has solar hot water, solar electricity and a wind turbine, all installed by ReVision Energy. The systems have saved more than $20,000 in power costs over the past 2 years and eliminated more than 40,000 lbs. of CO2 emissions. Read more about Maine's Environmental Leader program. ReVision Energy has put together a financial analysis for commercial solar hot water, called How Solar Hot Water Can be a Great Investment - PDF. If you are interested to learn about how solar can be a cash flow positive investment for your facility, please take a look. Below are some examples of hospitality industry businesses going green, utilizing the energy of the sun. The Beachmere Inn, Ogunquit, Maine
The Beachmere Inn, a family owned and operated business in Ogunquit, is certified as an Environmental Leader due to its ambitious green initiatives. Under the direction of owner Sarah Diment, the Beachmere is using compact fluorescent bulbs and environmentally safe cleaning products facility-wide. In the summer of 2008, ReVision Energy installed 3 active solar hot water systems and a 5 kilowatt solar electric system. In the first two months of service, the solar hot water systems reduced oil consumption by 34%. The solar hot water system pictured above is for the 32-room main building. The other two systems generate domestic hot water in employee housing buildings. The 5kW solar electric system covers 5-8% of the Inn's total demand. According to their website, more than 6,331 kilowatt hours of clean electricity have been produced by the solar array, eliminating 10,763 lbs of CO2. The Salt Water Grille, South Portland, Maine
In an effort to reduce fossil fuel energy costs and CO2 emissions, The Saltwater Grille in South Portland recently had a large solar hot water system installed. The solar hot water system provides domestic hot water for dishwashing, cooking and hand-washing, thereby offsetting the need to burn propane to produce hot water. According to owner Mark Loring, the restaurant serves roughly 2,500 meals per week. That means approximately 6,000 gallons of hot water is used each week to keep up with their busy pace. The solar hot water system was designed and installed by ReVision Energy. System engineer Fortunat Mueller, P.E., estimates that the system will produces roughly 60 million BTUs of clean, renewable heat energy annually, or 200,000 BTUs per day. The system is saving roughly 600 gallons of propane annually and reducing CO2 emissions by more than 8,000 lbs. each year. The Country Inn, Camden, Maine
The Country Inn is the first hotel in Rockport to install solar panels and is one of only a few properties in the Camden-Rockport area to receive Maine's Environmental Leader Certification. Over the past few years The Country Inn has implemented a number of sustainable business practices, most recently the integration of solar power. The 24 flat plate solar hot water collectors, pictured above, are to provide for approximately 60 percent of the Inn's domestic hot water used on an annual basis. | |||
|
Getting to Know John Luft
Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut John came to Maine in 1989 to attend Unity College. He received a Bachelor's of Science degree in Ecology in 1993, and has since been a resident of Waldo County. After graduation John spent 10 years working in the trades businesses of residential construction and furniture making. John met Bill Behrens, co-owner of ReVision Energy, in 1999. Bill was designing an off grid solar electric system for a home John was building. They continued to be in touch, and in 2004 John was hired by then Energyworks to perform solar thermal installations. With experience John became the Solar Thermal Project Supervisor for the Liberty branch. John gained his Maine State Solar Thermal Installer's License and has since installed and managed well over 100 systems throughout the state. Currently, John is doing less work in the field and more work designing and quoting systems. He is currently the Branch Manager for the Liberty shop, designing and quoting residential and commercial solar thermal projects. John resides in an off-grid solar home that he and his wife JoAnna built. They have two sons, Samuel who is seven, and Avery, three. When John is not busy keeping up with the demand for solar projects, he is found spending time with his family, playing his guitar, bicycling, fishing, and working in the woods with his two sons. | |||
Thursday, May 21st 6-7:30 pm
Join us May 21st from 6-7:30pm for a Solar Open House Event! This event will be located at 12 October Farm Lane in Cumberland, Maine 04021. The homeowners have Apricus evacuated tube collectors installed on their south facing roof. There is an 80 gallon Stiebel Eltron tank being heated by the 44 tube collector array. This system is to provide solar heated water for the domestic hot water load with back up coming from a cast iron oil boiler. This system is expected to produce a 60-70 degree temperature rise in the tank providing most of the households domestic hot water needs in the spring, summer, and fall. The backup boiler will supplement as necessary to ensure a consistent supply of hot water. This system will produce 8-10 million BTU's of clean renewable energy and eliminate over 4200 lbs of CO2 each year. The solar open house is a chance for people to view the solar designs used in this home and mingle with the homeowner as well as a ReVision Energy representative to talk about the feasibility of solar. The event is free and all are welcome. Please meet at 12 October Farm Lane in Cumberland at 6pm May 21st if interested. Call 221-6342 or email jen@revisionenergy.com with questions. Directions: Coming from Rte 1 South, turn Right on Tuttle Road Exit; at the stop sign take a right onto Tuttle Road (toward Cumberland Center). After 2 miles, look for private lane, October Farm Lane, on the left. At the top of the lane, turn left at the #12 sign. Coming from Rte 1 North, turn Left on Tuttle Road Exit; at the stop sign take a right onto Tuttle Road (toward Cumberland Center). After 2 miles, look for private lane, October Farm Lane, on the left. At the top of the lane, turn left at the #12 sign. From Route 9 South, turn Right onto Tuttle Road - October Farm Lane is the first right after the RR tracks. At the top of the lane, turn left at the #12 sign. From Route 9 North (Main Street), turn Left on Tuttle Road- October Farm Lane is the first right after the RR tracks. At the top of the lane, turn left at the #12 sign. | |||
|
Thursday May 7th, from 5-7pm 142 Presumpscot Street Portland, ME 04103 The event is free and all are welcome! Please contact our office with any questions jen@revisionenergy.com or 221-6342. | |||
|
BioHeat's Annual Spring Sale! | |||
|
Want More? You can get a FREE Termovar Loading Unit - PDF, a $595 value, just by paying for your boiler in full! Deliveries must be taken by June 15, 2009 to qualify for spring sale pricing. | |||
May 7th - MEBSR Annual Conference Maine Business for Social Responsibility will be presenting People, Profit, and Planet in the New Economy in conjunction with the Muskie School of Public Service and the USM school of Business. The conference is Thursday May 7th from 7:30-3pm at the USM's Abromson Center. Visit MEBSR to learn more. May 9th - Smart Energy Expo Maine Partners for Cool Communities is hosting the Smart Energy Expo at the Kennebunk High School from 12-5pm. The Expo aims to bring together people who are marketing or designing renewable, sustainable, efficient energy products and services. The event is free to the public, food and beverage will be sold. Any funds raised from this event will go into a 'green' fund that has been created to support sustainability projects at the Kennebunk High School. Contact Jennifer Niese with questions (207) 294-2961.
May 9th - Portsmouth Sustainability Fair located at the Portsmouth Middle School. Portsmouth City Council voted to make its city an "Eco-municipality," a community that is committed to being guided by a set of sustainability objectives for its entire decision making. This fair will be promoting ways to reduce fossil fuel dependence, reduce use of chemicals and synthetic substances, reduce our encroachment upon nature, and how to meet human needs fairly and efficiently. The fair hours are from 10-2pm, there is no charge for the public. Contact Jeffrey Cooper with questions (603) 436-7945. June 11th - Solar Open House, Portland. Come join us for another one of our Solar Open Houses at 433 Summit Street in Portland.The home has a 44-tube Apricus solar hot water collector array heating an 85 gallon Marathon hot water tank with automatic electric backup. The event will be held Thursday, June 11th from 6-7:30 pm. June 19th - Summer Solstice Grand Opening Event! ReVision Energy in Portland has relocated to 142 Presumpscot Street. Please tell all your friends to join us for free food and drink and the opportunity to see ReVision's renewable energy systems in our new showroom. This event starts at 5pm and goes into the night. There will be raffle prizes and a fundraiser for Maine Businesses for Social Responsibility. People interested in a solar evaluation at their home or office can sign up at the event and the $150 deposit will be donated to MEBSR. Please contact our office with questions jen@revisionenergy.com or 221-6342. Thank You! | |||
|
Please join us to see the amazing process of 2,000 degree wood gasification in action! We will be firing a wood boiler over 90% efficient to demonstrate the latest technology for burning cord wood and pellets. The seminar will chart the complete path for those who want to make the switch from oil to sustainable renewable energy. The presentation will include a discussion of the latest biomass technology, carbon neutral home heating, and sustainably harvested fuel and delivery service. We will also discuss integrating solar domestic hot water. There will be information on financing options and government financial incentives.
This seminar comes just in time to coincide with Bioheat's annual Spring sale! Until May 15th you can save $500 on a BioHeat boiler. Or you can save $1,000 by purchasing a boiler with thermal mass storage. ReVision Energy currently carries 5 of BioHeat's products. We have the 