Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 9, September 1, 2024
(1) Installations must be installed according
to manufacturer's instructions; and comply with all applicable state, county,
or local codes and regulations.
(2) Consumers who purchase a solar swimming
pool, spa or hot tub heating system must receive written operating and
maintenance instructions. These instructions must at a minimum include:
(a) Clear instructions on how to monitor the
system performance;
(b)
Description and recommended frequency of homeowner maintenance;
(c) Diagram of the system noting location of
valves and monitoring devices; and
(d) What to do and who to call in an
emergency and when the system needs professional maintenance and repairs.
(3) Swimming pool
heating system designs and installations must comply with the following
additional requirements:
(a) Collectors and
piping must be securely mounted to withstand local wind loads.
(b) Piping and pump sizing must consider
collector area, total flow rates, pressure drop across collectors, length of
run from collectors to pump, and maximum allowable pressure drop for the
system.
(c) Any building
insulation disturbed due to the system installation must be restored to
previous condition.
(d) Swimming
pool collectors must come with a minimum 10-year manufacturer's full warranty
(to ensure that equipment designed for temporary installation is not used).
(e) System must have a method to
show that it is operating correctly. This equipment must be a permanent part of
the system, not require any special tools, and be in an easily accessible
location.
(f) Collectors must be
mounted in a manner to enable seasonal drainage by gravity for proper freeze
protection.
(g) The system must
have a minimum Total Solar Resource Fraction (TSRF) of 75 percent.
(h) Swimming pool collectors must be
certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC), Florida
Solar Energy Center (FSEC) or other certification body approved by the
department.
(i) Swimming pool
heating collectors will be limited to no more than 125 percent of the pool area
for the purposes of calculating the tax credit.
(j) To estimate annual savings, swimming
pools are assumed to be heated to a maximum of 85 degrees F. Swimming pools,
spas or hot tubs heated beyond 85 degrees F will be considered a spa or hot tub
for tax credit purposes.
(4) Spa and hot tub heating system designs
and installations must comply with the following additional requirements:
(a) System design must be approved by the
department. Approval is based on complete system design documentation and
calculation of annual energy savings.
(b) Controls must be capable of maintaining
safe spa temperatures.
(c) The
system must have a minimum Total Solar Resource Fraction (TSRF) of 75 percent.
(5) The addition of
more energy producing capacity to an existing solar pool heating system may be
eligible for an AED tax credit if:
(a) The
system addition increases first year energy savings; and
(b) The system addition is built, installed
and operated in accord with OAR 330-070-0010 through 330-070-0097.
(6) The department will calculate
first year energy savings of a system addition by subtracting the estimated
savings of the original AED from the increased first year energy savings with
the addition.
(a) The department will not
recalculate the original AED's estimated energy savings, even if the AED
produces less than estimated.
(b)
Any AED that received an AED tax credit in a prior five years will be assumed
to remain in place, for purposes of calculating a tax credit for a system
addition.
Stat. Auth.: ORS 469.086
Stats. Implemented: ORS
316.116
