BRISTOL — Jackman’s Inc., a provider of carbon-heavy heating fuels like kerosene and No. 2 heating fuel, is giving solar a go.
The Bristol company, which got its start by selling firewood and coal in 1930, has long specialized in offering a range of heating options to its customers. In the last decade, the company began dealing pellets and bio diesel.
But last week marked the beginning of Jackman’s foray into sun-powered heat. On Wednesday, the fuel company installed two solar collectors on the top of its roof, aimed at heating 100 gallons of water a day.
The system, designed by Massachusetts-based Heat Transfer Products, will only heat water. Over the next month the company will test the solar system and then begin offering it to customers, company officials said.
“We try to pick up every energy alternative there is,” said owner Peter Jackman. “We’ve got pellets and coal and firewood and this the next thing we see that actually works and there is a demand for it.”
With turmoil in the Middle East and international disputes among members of OPEC — the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries — Jackman is concerned about the stability of oil prices. The sun, on the other hand, is something he said people could count on.
“When you can get energy for (a lower cost) that’s a really big step,” he said. “The sun is free as long as it shines.”
Reporter Andrew Stein is at [email protected].