The Wave

Solarsense has installed 600 evacuated solar thermal tubes to heat the shower facility at The Wave, Bristol saving more than 11,000kg of CO2 emissions per year.

CLIENT

The Wave

TECHNOLOGY

Solar Thermal

APPLICATION

Shower block

MANUFACTURER

Apricus

SYSTEM SIZE

600 evacuated tubes

GROSS SURFACE AREA

88m²

ANNUAL ENERGY SAVINGS

17,294.1kWh

ANNUAL CO2 SAVINGS

11,517.84kg

CLIENT

The Wave is an inland-surfing destination where anyone and everyone can surf on safe waves, every day of the year. It was founded in 2010 by former osteopath, Nick Hounsfield and the first destination opened in Bristol in October 2019.

The Wave is the first place in the world to use Wavegarden Cove technology, bringing surfing, nature and a fresh way of thinking to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

Sustainability has been an intrinsic part of the Wave since the very beginning and the founders wanted to build a business that could deliver more than just a financial return.

Environmentally, the operation is continually striving to be resourceful and to find ways to minimise their environmental impact. Their ethos encourages all to interact thoughtfully with one another and the wider environment.

TASK

The Wave was looking for a sustainable means to generating hot water for the shower facilities situated within their 180m-long surfing lake.

In a bid to reduce costs and increase sustainability, Solarsense installed 600 evacuated solar thermal tubes on the roof of the Pavilion in order to heat the showers with clean, renewable energy. This will not only provide reduced fuel costs, but also provide the organisation with an income from the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

The smart energy system spans 88m² of the roof, feeding the 2000 litre hot water tanks below, ensuring an above average temperature of 42℃.

As well as heating the Pavilion water naturally with renewable energy, each of the buildings on-site have been future proofed to allow the popular tourist attraction to add solar photovoltaics and other renewables at a later date.

SYSTEM COMPONENTS

  • Collector loop: 600 evacuated tubes
  • DHW standby tank: 2000L
  • Buffer tank: 2000L
  • Auxiliary heating: 90kW electric heat pump

CLIENT QUOTE

‘I didn’t want sustainability to be a ‘nice to have’ extra, or simply give a nod to it in the business plan. For me it was always at the heart of what we were trying to do and had to be part of every decision we made’.

Nick Hounsfield
Founder, The Wave

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