About our solar installation

Conservation Technologies' background is in building construction, the performance of buildings, and energy issues in general. We sell and install energy efficient building supplies, Venmar heat recovery ventilation systems, and solar electric and hot water systems. We also consult in building design and performance. Conservation Technologies has a comprehensive support team that includes sales, installation and technical support professionals. We serve a growing area in the upper Midwest from our Duluth office.

Here are a couple of pictures of recent Solar Hot Water Installations:

Details of the Adventure Inn Solar Hot Water System:



Conservation Technologies will be installing 20 MN Made 4x10 flat plate solar collectors. The collectors are made by Solar Skies Mfg and are made in Alexandria, MN. These 20 4x10 collectors have a cold climate btu rating of 24,000 btus / collector / day. The total system will produce approximately 175 million btus/ year. This system will reduce the Adventure Inn’s Carbon Foot Print by 51,000 lbs / year.



Background on Solar Hot Water:

Solar water heaters, sometimes called solar domestic hot water systems, may be a good investment for families and for businesses. Solar water heaters are cost competitive in many applications when you account for the total energy costs over the life of the system. Although the initial cost of solar water heaters is higher than that of conventional water heaters, the fuel (sunshine) is free. Plus, they are environmentally friendly. To take advantage of these heaters, you must have an unshaded, south-facing location (a roof, for example) on your property.

Solar water heaters can operate in any climate. Performance varies depending, in part, on how much solar energy is available at the site, but also on how cold the water coming into the system is. The colder the water, the more efficiently the system operates. In almost all climates, you will need a conventional backup system. In fact, many building codes require you to have a conventional water heater as the backup.

Contact Information: Please call 218-722-9003 or email info@conservtech with any inquiries

Another Winter Perfect Festival in frigid Ely

The effects of global warming are missing Ely this winter (or is it because of?) We have had incredible snow falls and not a day over freezing for almost 2 months. Temps down in the -20's and even down in the -40's one night. That being said, it has made Ely a perfect winter destination. We revel in it, we play in it, we carve in it! The first 2 weeks of February bring the Annual Winter Festival to Ely and with it comes the Snow carvings! Children, families, individual compete in amateur contests, and the Pro's come out to outshine each other. Every year, I believe they are the best ever, and this year is no exception. I am sharing just a few of the carvings this year and the deep freeze that we are experiencing is preserving them. All you southerners heed some advice. Come and experience a real winter for a vacation in Ely. We have dog sledding, snow shoeing, nordic skiing, sledding down Big Dutch (the only golf course that becomes killer sled runs in winter)

Ice fishing (yes, we Minnesotans haul houses on lakes and cut holes in the ice and fish) and for the true adventurer, winter camping in the BWCA. You can experience a sky far away from city lights, air as pure as you will find anywhere on the planet and silence. No where can you go and experience no sound. It is an incredible experience. It is so quiet out in the wilderness that you can hear the blood rush through your body and the buzz of your brain as it takes in the beauty. Winter in Ely is why we live here.