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ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD
The Hamlet of Fort Liard is leading the way in the territory in using the sun's power to heat the water for community pools.

Naaka Duntra, left, and her cousin Ariana Timbre swim in the Fort Liard Community Pool. This summer the water in the pool is being heated by a new bank of solar thermal panels on the roof of the building. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Last summer the hamlet installed a bank of solar thermal panels on the roof of the Fort Liard Community Pool. The goal is to have the panels meet the majority of the heating requirements for the pool's water, said John McKee, the hamlet's senior administrative officer.

"We think they are going to save us money," he said.

They exact amount of money that will be save by using the panels instead of an oil fired boiler to heat the water isn't clear yet because this is the first summer the system has been utilized. McKee said the amount will likely vary from year to year depending on conditions and that any degree of savings will be welcome.

The hamlet applied to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for money for the project. In the application it was estimated, based on formulas provided by the Arctic Energy Alliance, that $2,795 a year would be saved in heating costs for the pool water. The system will have a lifespan of 20 years before it will need major servicing. In that time approximately $55,000 could be saved, not taking into account increases in fuel prices.

The hamlet received approximately $65,000 from the Alternative Energy Technologies Program for the panels. So far this summer the panels, which are located on the south side of the building's roof, have been providing all of the heat for the pool water, said McKee. A boiler is standing by as a back-up.

The panels were part of an extensive energy retrofit for the Fort Liard Community Centre, which includes a community hall, an arena and the pool. The boilers in the building were replaced and work was also done on the ventilation system. The entire project, including the panels, cost $355,000.

McKee said even without the panels the hamlet would still be saving money because of the newer boilers for the pool.

"The heat and the electricity are two of our biggest costs of running the facility," he said.

Fort Liard was the first community in the territory to express interest in using solar thermal panels to heat the water for its pool, said Wade Carpenter, an alternative energy specialist with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The department received the hamlet's application for funding in 2010. Subsequently the department created a Solar Hot Water for Pools Program to assist other communities with pools.

There are approximately 10 seasonal and four year-round pools in the territory, said Carpenter. The seasonal pools lend themselves to hot water heating.

"For a lot of people it just makes sense," he said.

If you have the sun at your disposal there's no need to be shipping oil north to heat the pools, said Carpenter. Four communities, Fort Providence, Aklavik, Norman Wells and Tulita, used the new program to instal solar thermal panels. A combined total of $300,000 was given to the communities through the program.

It's estimated that the panels will offset up to 50 per cent of the heating oil used for pools, said Carpenter. It will be interesting to monitor the actual output of the projects over several years and compare it to the estimated output to see how the panels are functioning in the North, he said.

Although there is always high up front costs for installing renewable energy technology, Carpenter said he thinks these systems will make sense in the long run.

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