DualSun installation for The University of Queensland.
Doing the Right Thing
Rising energy costs demand that aquatic centres find less carbon-intensive ways to remain operational
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ation-wide, at least 3.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions could be cut from aquatic centres by reducing their energy consumption by just 10%. However, one of the key current sustainability barriers for commercial aquatic centres is offsetting their carbon output and sourcing cost-efficient heating solutions, while running at optimal performance. Centres usually operate for long hours, every day of the year, and have to maintain constant temperatures in the pools and in the spaces surrounding them in summer and winter. Water has to be treated, evaporation and water loss controlled, and slippery floors and moisture dealt with. On top of that, the entire centre has to be heated, which adds a lot of complexity to the selection of suitable heating systems. As a result, water and space heating can account for up to 80% of an aquatic centre’s total energy costs. Advancements in technology and innovation are proving successful for powering aquatic facilities and being sustainable. Gas or electric heating systems are the traditional solutions to run centres, however they are highly carbon-intensive. Supreme Heating, founded in Melbourne in 1990, is a leading and innovative pool heating company. With offices in each state across Australia, the resources available to their clients include service and support capabilities, a nationwide network of outlets, and onsite manufacturing at their Melbourne-based head office and warehouse. The company continually invests resources ensuring quality products and continued innovation towards a sustainable future. The revolutionary product, Heatseeker DualSun,
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simultaneously produces electricity and heating for pools and other hot water applications. It is the first hybrid panel certified in the world. Founder and director Colin Mauger says the company had evolved over 31 years to its strong focus on sustainability. The company services the needs and provides feasible and green solutions for the national residential and commercial swimming pool industry. “Our focus is to consistently pioneer new, energy-efficient heating products, most of which did not exist in the marketplace back in the early 1990s.” Anthony Denahy who has recently joined the team as the Commercial Business Development Manager for DualSun, explains “our domestic business has been solid largely as a result of people finding that they couldn’t travel and were spending more time at home. “As a result, they wanted to improve or add to their backyard pools, making their backyard their resort.” In the commercial sector, Denahy stated “we have a very strong interest in DualSun and our other commercial products for large commercial projects and local government facilities for environmentally friendly and responsible solutions for pool heating.” With its product range having expanded from thermal pool covers and rollers along with a range of pool heating systems, since 2018 Supreme Heating has offered the French-made Heatseeker DualSun hybrid solar panel to the market, as the product’s sole distributor in Australia. A multi-award-winning hybrid solar panel, Heatseeker
