A Laundry Room Inc. in Ely is sure proof that protecting the environment is a collaborative endeavor.

Rebecca Spengler has owned A Laundry Room since 2007. She knew going into the business that a laundromat was energy intensive. During peak periods, A Laundry Room uses 425 gallons of water per hour. But she had a desire to create an energy efficient operation and felt there was a way around that.

So she explored solar energy. And in the process of installing a solar thermal water heating system for her business, she found a bunch of other people and helped them learn about it, too.

Spengler started by taking the “Solar Thermal Hot Water” course at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais. She learned what the system looked like and began calculating how it would fit into her business. Eventually, she spoke with consultants regarding the exact system design and the estimated energy cost savings she might experience.

The project initially cost $24,000 for the equipment and installation. Spengler worked with a business developer at the Northeast Entrepreneur Fund on financing. She found that the projected savings were enough to cover her loan payments for the installation.

“That really helped me move forward on this project, because I was able to show the savings I would have,” she said.

However, she had other incentives, too. She procured a state grant made available for people like her through funding from the Northeast Clean Energy Resource Team and the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Office of Energy Security.

Spengler explained that the solar system in A Laundry Room is for hot water only. The entire interior assembly takes up about 15-feet by four-feet of floor space. She added that solar heating systems in homes are typically smaller.

The system operates on a closed loop of anti-freeze that’s continuously pumped through solar panels. Cold city water enters a small heat exchanger that contains “pastry thin” baffles which transfers heat to the cold water.

The cold water enters the building at about 46- to 48-degrees. The heat exchanger takes the temperature to between 80- and 140-degrees, depending on the weather and cloud cover.

Spengler said the best way to learn about solar energy is to do it. So she involved a team of contractors and volunteers as part of her schoolhouse.

Local contractors included Tom Strom from Greenstone Renewable Energy, Andy Hill from Northland Builders, B.J. Rusco Plumbing and Heating, and Brooks Shepard from Range LP Gas. The framework for the “solar array” of panels was constructed by Rick Aylsworth, and the literal groundwork for the frame was provided by Casey Peterson Landscaping.

She also used two consultants to help the installation along. Mark Morgan, from Bear Paw Design and Construction in Strum, Wis., offered freelance solar instruction. Ely resident Gloria Erickson made sure all energy concerns were addressed. Erickson also attended the solar hot water course with Spengler in Grand Marais.

Ten volunteers from Energy Efficient Ely worked with the contractors and provided labor. Spengler also invited students from the physics and chemistry classes at Ely High School to participate. She reviewed pertinent numbers, like energy demands and business savings, that the class had been studying.

“I’m big on asking what we can do for the environment,” she said. “Look for solutions and in the process we become educated.”

The team began installation on May 24 and had it assembled in three days. The system went online on June 1. She said she’s been very happy with the results.

“It’s lowered my overhead costs to a [point] that it will be a far more sustainable and viable local business,” she said.

In the first two months of its operation, she’s seen a 36 percent reduction in propane use from the same period last year. She acknowledged that some of that decrease might also be from a drop in propane prices this year.

Other benefits include a 30 percent federal tax credit and the state grant that covered the labor costs. At this rate, she estimates her loan payback period should be about two and a half to three years.

What’s more, she said there are indications that A Laundry Room offers a green appeal she thinks is attractive to clientele.

“Every customer is lowering their carbon footprint by doing their laundry here.”

For more information on the Solar Thermal Hot Water course at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, visit their website at www.northhouse.org.

For details on state-funded energy grants from the Northeast Clean Energy Resource Team, see their website at www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org.