SOLARHOT
top of the line efficiency Jeanette and Dan Gretsch always dreamed of owning their own business. Today, their North Carolina-based company of SOLARHOT makes the most efficient solar water heater system in the U.S., as certified by the Solar Rating Certification Corporation.
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corporate profile | solar
A SOLARHOT employee works on CNC precision machining.
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solar | corporate profile
by Joel Cornell
Acting solely as a manufacturer has allowed SOLARHOT, a North Carolina based solar thermal system designer and manufacturer, to truly excel in their field. Indeed, SOLARHOT manufactures the most efficient solar water heater system in the U.S., as rated by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation. Jeanette Gretsch earned a degree in chemistry during her university years, before becoming a home school teacher and stay at home mom. After 16 years, she and her husband Dan decided to start actualizing their dreams of owning their own business. Currently, Jeanette serves as President of SOLARHOT. “My husband and I have always held a deep passion for our environment,” Gretsch said. “Dan was a manufacturing engineer for a Fortune 500 company for many years, and provided in house consulting to facilities around the world. He traveled frequently back and forth from Brazil, and noticed in particular how the solar industry was really taking off in a way that it had yet to here in the U.S. Many people who weren’t exactly in the higher or middle income brackets were still regularly investing in their own solar thermal systems, and that intrigued us.” From here, Jeanette and Dan began to turn their idea for a small business in the direction of solar energy. They first started manufacturing solar by themselves in their garage. In 2006, they moved into their own production facility and officially established SOLARHOT. As of 2009, they have expanded exponentially and moved into a much larger warehouse space. “Because of the way the economy and the market for solar energy was in the early 2000s, there wasn’t really one standard for solar thermal manufacturers in the U.S.,” Gretsch said. “We started off right before tax credits from the government for renewable energy became a reality. As those came along, more and more
America’s Most Efficient Solar Heating System This small, North Carolina-based manufacturer is producing big-time efficiency around the world. Fall 2010 3
corporate profile | solar
When working on absorber production, individual attention is given to each joint on the collector absorber. Afterwards multiple hydrostatic pressure checks verify the quality of the brazes.
We want our solar collectors to not only be of the highest quality and efficiency, but we also strive to make them durable, reliable and aesthetically pleasing. people started to become interested in solar thermal systems. But, due to the lack of standards, there was a very high learning curve that made it difficult for people to adapt to solar on a large scale. Our goal was to market a product that was pre-engineered, self contained and easy to learn.” Today, SOLARHOT focuses on a complete line of solar water heating systems, components and engineering services for a wide range of projects, stock system packages and custom design work alike. Part of what has allowed their small business to become a large part of the market has been the simplicity of their designs. Their systems can be integrated into virtually any kind of water heating system, and the standard package includes the necessary features such as heat exchanger pumps and control mechanisms. SOLARHOT manufactures their standard systems to only require four connections that need to be installed, which further simplifies the process for HVAC professionals and installers. In order to focus their work and concentrate on manufacturing the most efficient product possible, SOLARHOT only deals through distribution companies. Because of the simplicity of the installation process for their systems, they can sell to a much wider market than those who manufacture systems that require 4 Energy Leaders Today
much more training and knowledge. Their systems are sold to distributors nationwide and internationally, mainly in the Canadian and Caribbean markets. SOLARHOT doesn’t solely manufacture the collectors, mounts and system packages. They also distribute components and several different lines of tanks for those who are installing an entirely new heating system. From solar storage tanks and large commercial tanks to drainback tanks and expansion tanks, the very same quality that goes into their incredibly efficient solar panel arrays is also in their wide variety of tanks. “What we aim for,” Gretsch said, “is primarily a total system package. We want our solar collectors to not only be of the highest quality and efficiency, but we also strive to make them durable, reliable and aesthetically pleasing. Our system packages will work with any kind of water heater, in any climate, in any size range, with any number of tanks, whether they are drainback systems or pressurized glycol systems. All these different arrangements have different benefits for different people, and being able to offer every option to every distributor, both large and small, has been a vital part of our success.” Despite their wide array of products, SOLARHOT has been aiming their design work at
producing a more standardized system for themselves and the industry at large. “Custom systems can be very expensive,” Gretsch said, “and with so many different kinds of systems available within the industry, it can be difficult for an average consumer to know which choice is best for them. We run a continuous improvement facility and have been trying to produce a system that would drive down the overall price for the consumer. As the simplicity of a system increases, the price for us to manufacture it goes down, the price for an installer to buy it goes down, and the price for the consumer to install it goes down. Once
RE-ALIGN TECHNOLOGY RE-Align Technology believes that premier solar heating and hot water systems are built upon the foundations of design and installation. REAlign provides its installers with solar thermal solutions emphasizing design and advanced product packaging by SOLARHOT-. RE-Align Technology has partner installers in Coastal North Carolina, Colorado, and Wyoming. Offices are located in North Carolina and Colorado. For more information on RE-Align products and designs, visit www.realigntechnology.com.
solar | corporate profile
Solvelox Production - SolVelox is buffed and polished after it is assembled.
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corporate profile | solar
Hotels use a lot of hot water and solar provides great cost and energy savings. Park Place Hotel, Md. Photos courtesy of SOLARHOT.
our potential consumer base sees the prices sink, the demand can skyrocket and solar energy can become a prevalent choice over standard, non-renewable energy sources. “The recession has taught people to appreciate the ability to own their own sources of energy and the downsides of having to rely on renting energy like most people have been accustomed to,� Gretsch said. Training for solar energy systems is also a main focus for SOLARHOT. Dan Gretsch leads monthly one-day training sessions across the country for consumers, HVAC professionals, plumbers and interested parties
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alike. This gives people the background and essentials they need to install and maintain these systems. SOLARHOT can also hold training sessions specifically for clients who want their employees to gain the valuable knowledge of how to install one of the most efficient solar systems on the market. Currently, despite their success and growth, the staff at SOLARHOT stands at just eight. Their personal touch on the systems they manufacture is quite evident. But equally important to them is the individual service they can provide to each and every customer, across the nation and around the world. ELT
BECKETT CORP The Beckett SolarH 2Ot advantage allows homeowners to easily convert any new or existing water heater into a solar water heating system with the Beckett SolarHot package. By taking advantage of federal and state tax credits you can increase the value of your home, receive 30-50 percent of your installation cost back on your next tax return and enjoy 50-80 percent lower hot water energy bills each year. To contact the R.W. Beckett Corporation, call: 800-OIL-BURN (800-6452876) or visit www.beckettcorp.com.
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