Laundromat taps solar power to heat water

BERWYN, Ill., April 4 (UPI) -- Like the "Flight of the Phoenix," a suburban Chicago laundromat has risen from the ashes to become home to Illinois' largest solar-energy installation.

The 50-year-old Berwyn, Ill., facility burned down in 2004, but rebuilt and the World's Largest Laundromat reopened last December.

The huge operation has more than 300 washers and dryers, a dozen flat-screen TVs, a children's play area and even a caged-bird zone.

It also heats its water with 36 solar panels mounted on the building's roof.

"We had one day in January so bright that, even though it was 18 degrees outside, we were producing 120-degree water," owner Tom Benson told the Chicago Tribune.

The new system has already attracted tourists including 50 members of the Illinois Solar Energy Association, who toured the building and the roof during the weekend.

Benson said the system cost about $160,000 and supplies about 20 percent of his energy needs.

"It will pay for itself in five years," Benson said.