Solar Water Heater Installed on Veazey Dorm

New Hampton School students assisted by the Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative (PAREI) installed a solar thermal system as part of Earth Day celebrations on Thursday.

The system was installed using PAREI’s model of an Energy Raiser fashioned after an Amish barn raising. The students, with the assistance of the school’s facilities department and volunteers from PAREI, installed the solar system in a day-long effort that brought experiential learning to new heights. The system will heat water in the Veazey Dorm and eliminate the use of thousands of kilowatt-hours of electricity and tons of carbon per year.

According to PAREI Co-Director Sandra Jones, the instillation is the first ever at a school in New Hampshire.

"There's nothing like experiential learning and the interaction with the adults is priceless," said Jones. "The student volunteers were really engaged and inspired by the environmental effects of their work."

The effort is part of a school-wide initiative led by New Hampton School's Husky Green Council, the school’s sustainability organization, to reduce the school’s carbon footprint, limit expenses, allow students to have an opportunity for experiential learning and live the school’s mission of shaping global citizens who understand the local application of global priorities.

Ten New Hampton School students from a Projects in Sustainability class educated their fellow students and were instrumental in the installation process.

“We spent a lot of time talking about this day and trying to learn about solar energy,” Science faculty member and HGC advisor Rebekka Joslin said, “but it's really exciting to see the kids working with their hands and learning outside the classroom.”

NHS senior Sean Mahoney helped install all the wiring for the water heater.

"It was pretty interesting," Mahoney said. "I knew a little about electrical wiring before, but I definitely learned a lot more."

Junior Mary Penniman was part of the group that presented the opportunity to the NHS administration.

“Solar energy correlates to almost every science course at New Hampton and was a great opportunity to bring classes to the actual solar panels and give a concrete lesson on renewable energy right on campus,” Penniman said. “Year after year science classes at New Hampton School learn about sustainable lifestyles and renewable energy in textbooks and on TV screens. This will be the first year where the students will see their lesson in real life!”

The solar thermal system installed is a 40-tube Apricus evacuated tube system designed for colder climates. The system will produce over 10 million BTUs and will eliminate the usage of over 3000KWH per year.