A tankless retrofit, two years later
After a major retrofit to switch to propane tankless water heating, Ruby’s Inn is seeing ongoing energy savings and an increase in positive reviews.
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Two years ago, Ruby’s Inn undertook a major revitalization of its water-heating system by installing 175 propane tankless water heaters throughout the resort. Faced with an aging hot-water system based around boilers and hot-water storage tanks, the resort’s owners hoped to eliminate equipment failures and cold showers by installing a more reliable system with the versatility to meet a variety of hot-water loads. Two years later, positive reviews are up and energy consumption is way down, the resort’s manager reports.
“One of the biggest contributors to good business for the industry we work in is social media reviews, and we’ve seen an uptick in positive online reviews since the retrofit,” says Ron Harris, Ruby’s Inn manager. “Some even comment on the hot-water availability despite showing up with a tour bus full of families.”
Harris said the resort has yet to refund one dollar for hot-water problems and estimates a savings of over 73,000 gallons of propane per year. The project is an excellent example of the versatility of tankless water heaters, which can be used for projects as varied as a small restaurant and as large as a 700-guest-room vacation resort.
