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was connected and pressure tested. Then the hardscape installer, Rocky Mountain Hardscapes of Denver, applied one inch of bedding sand and tamped it into the voids. The manufacturer advises using a vibraplate with a plastic base or a hand tamp. After pre-compacting the sand, it was then screeded to the correct depth. The panels provide structure to the base and add full support to the paver array: 10,000 square feet of 3-inch-thick segmented pav- ers, which were set and compacted as usual. In the end, the two pools and spa are each on their own heating system. It was con- servatively projected that the system would provide 60 percent of their yearly heating requirements. After two years in operation, it reportedly provides 100 percent, to the point that because the supplemental heaters never came on, the maintenance people had to test them to make sure they still worked. The pavers retain enough energy in the evening to keep the pools and spa up to their designated temperatures 24 hours a day in warm-weather months, and above freezing in the winter. The system is also capable of assisting with melting snow as water heated by the dormant boilers could be pumped through the panels to clear the patio area. But maybe just as importantly, in the summer when the days can reach 105 de- grees and heat the pavers to 185 degrees, the actions of the system cool the pavers to a safe temperature level. Top, Right: About 2,000 solar panels, each 1.4"-thick with 1"-thick, 3-lb density EPS foam insulation mounted to the back of them, were needed to cover the area. The panels are delivered from the factory already connected together in rows up to 50'-long, and folded into 6'-long boxes for shipping. After being set out, they were hooked up to send/return manifolds with polyethylene raised temperature (PE-RT) tubing and then pressure tested. Above, Right: Rocky Mountain Hardscapes of Denver installed 10,000 square feet of 3"-thick segmented pavers on a 1" base. The panels actually provide structure to the base and add full support to the paver array. March 2016 25