TILTON, IL — The owner of three Super Wash franchises here will add solar technology to all his locations, The News-Gazette reported.
The Dec. 21 story stated that Owner Richard Nevels said a solar voltaic system will be added to the wash in Tilton. In Catlin and Georgetown, the carwashes will have the solar voltaic and solar thermal systems installed.
Running on solar power
The thermal systems will heat the floors, soap and polish as well as the overhead hose and rail to prevent freezing. The solar voltaic systems will collect solar energy and feed it into the Ameren Illinois network, thus cutting energy bills.
Nevels noted in the article that the systems would trim 40 to 50 percent of his utility costs at the washes. “My payback will be four to five years on the investment. From then on, it will be savings,” he said in the story.
Chickens and carwashing
The project was made possible after Nevels won federal and state grants totaling approximately $100,000. In addition, Nevels expects to get a $50,000 federal tax credit for the project. Overall, the investment will require $200,000.
This is the second time Nevels has embarked on a solar project. The Tilton location had a solar thermal system installed in 2010. “We had such favorable results that we started investigating retrofitting our older carwashes in Georgetown and Catlin,” Nevels said in the story.
Read the entire article here.
