Roel Romero, owner of the hotel Uran in San Gerardo de Rivas was one of the first to buy the new water heater that Purasol has started distributing several months ago. “We installed the water heater in the area where the rooms have shared bathrooms and that can lodge up to 20 people and so far it has never failed. Of course, at night we have to use the electrical backup because if everyone wants to shower after 4 pm, a 200 liter tank cannot cope. “

This hotel at the entrance of the Chirripó National Park is a family run business with a permanent staff of 10 people and offers, besides accommodation for 60 people in rooms or cabins, restaurant services. Four years ago it obtained its first Bandera Azul and last year it got the CST with not less than 4 leaves, a reward of the ICT (Costa Rican Tourism Institute) that honors hotels´ environmentalist behavior. “The implementation of renewable energy helps us to get this distinctive” says Roel Romero, “but it´s not just for environmental reasons we had a solar water heater installed. There were also economic reasons and in fact, after the water heater got installed, our ICE bill dropped 25,000 colones per month despite having to use the electric backup at night.

“We decided to buy the heater from Purasol as this company is located in this area of the country and they offered a very affordable price,” adds the young hotel owner while answering incoming calls for Easter bookings. “We will be fully booked and our customers will enjoy a really hot shower,” he concludes very happily.