SolarWall® systems are patent protected. SolarWall® is a registered trademark of Conserval Engineering, Inc. Europe SolarWall Europe Sarl. 66 Avenue des Champs Elysees 75008 Paris, France E: [email protected] www.solarwall.eu U.S.A. Conserval Systems Inc. 4242 Ridge Lea Rd, Suite 28, Buffalo NY 14226 P: 716-835-4903 F: 716-83 5-4904 E: [email protected] www.solarwall.com Canada Conserval Engineering Inc. 200 Wildcat Road, Toronto, ON M3J 2N5 P: 416-661-7057 F: 416-661-7146 E: [email protected] www.solarwall.com Avon Theatre; Stratford Shakespeare Festival Institutional Background The Avon Theatre is home to the world famous Stratford Shakespeare Festival. The theatre was originally con- structed in 1901 (as a vaudeville house) called Theatre Albert, but by the 1950s it was being used mainly as a movie theatre. The Stratford Shakespeare Festival bought the building and surrounding land in 1963 and have sub- sequently commissioned numerous major renovations to the theatre, including a massive renewal project com- pleted in 2002. Currently, the theatre se ats 1090 people. In 2010 a new heating system was specified along with a SolarWall ® solar air heating system to augment the con- ventional gas-fired system. Solution The SolarWall ® solar air heating system preheats the in- coming ventilation air for the theatre before it reaches the HVAC system, thereby offsetting the traditional heating load and reducing GHG emissions. The Avon Theatre’s black SolarWall ® system consists of three large walls; West (1,788 ft 2 ); South (2,354 ft 2 ); and East (1,120 ft 2 ), which are all on the tower above the stage. Results The upgrades to the Avon Theatre heating system (including the SolarWall ® system) were supported in part by a grant from the federal government. The SolarWall system is projected to reduce 59 tonnes of GHG per year, reduce over 28,000 m 3 of natural gas consumption annu- ally, and save over $7,000 on their heating bill (annually). “It’s going to cause us to use less energy to pre-heat our fresh-air intake and we’ll use less natural gas,” he added, “which is good for all of us.”* -Jeff Heggie, Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s facilities manager The East and South facing walls of the SolarWall ® system at The Avon Theatre. *Quotation from: SolarWall to heat things up at Avon Theatre , March 10, 2011, by Jeff Heuchert; http://www.stratfordgazette.com/news/article/96835 The West facing wall of the SolarWall ® system at The Avon Theatre. Left, the West and South facing walls of the SolarWall ® system.