The Power Pipe!
eco-gestalt; when things make sense instantly!
Ok, there's the eco-side to why this is great. And then there's the other reason why... and let's start with that one: Anyone who's grown up in a house with 4+ people knows what it's like to be the last one taking a shower. Mmmmmmm! Nothing like getting 5 minutes into a good lather and then pooof! All the hot water is gone and you get an involuntary cold shower. Pretty much everyone has experienced that. And cold showers may be fun in the dog days of summer, or when you are a little overheated, but not fun at all when it's 7:30 am and you, half asleep, have to get ready to start the day... So here's the power-pipe! This ingenious little gizmo will ensure that there's a near-endless supply of hot water (like one of those tankless heaters, only much smarter)! Oh, and of course saves money, energy and greenhouse gas emissions!
The basic premise is that the water running down the drain is one thing (good for grey water systems and gardens, BTW), while the heat that is in the water is a totally different one. And what the Power Pipe does, is coils the incoming and outgoing water through a series of cooper tubes, so before the dirty water goes down the drain (really, y'oughta be collecting that grey water, but anyway), the heat has been removed and taken up by the clean fresh incoming water.
And just how eco-effective is this? Well, according to manufacturer renewABILITY Energy Inc., water heating accounts for 1/3 of a home's energy use and 90% of that hot water is for showers. The Power-Pipe re-uses 80% of that heat. Also, the system has no moving parts, so you can expect it to last pretty much till they have to tear the house down. And, as if that weren't good enough already, it's also made with 80% recycled materials, and designed to be completely recycled at the end of it's life.
So, a family of four heating with electricity can expect to see savings of just under $500 a year! And there's more: while chatting with one of the owners of renewABILITY Energy, he told me about a gym that he just fitted with two dozen Power-Pipes ...my head reeled doing the Rainman math--- they're going to save almost $16K a year, not to mention the reduction of GhG emissions! I love it. I want it.
Ok, there's the eco-side to why this is great. And then there's the other reason why... and let's start with that one: Anyone who's grown up in a house with 4+ people knows what it's like to be the last one taking a shower. Mmmmmmm! Nothing like getting 5 minutes into a good lather and then pooof! All the hot water is gone and you get an involuntary cold shower. Pretty much everyone has experienced that. And cold showers may be fun in the dog days of summer, or when you are a little overheated, but not fun at all when it's 7:30 am and you, half asleep, have to get ready to start the day... So here's the power-pipe! This ingenious little gizmo will ensure that there's a near-endless supply of hot water (like one of those tankless heaters, only much smarter)! Oh, and of course saves money, energy and greenhouse gas emissions!
The basic premise is that the water running down the drain is one thing (good for grey water systems and gardens, BTW), while the heat that is in the water is a totally different one. And what the Power Pipe does, is coils the incoming and outgoing water through a series of cooper tubes, so before the dirty water goes down the drain (really, y'oughta be collecting that grey water, but anyway), the heat has been removed and taken up by the clean fresh incoming water.
And just how eco-effective is this? Well, according to manufacturer renewABILITY Energy Inc., water heating accounts for 1/3 of a home's energy use and 90% of that hot water is for showers. The Power-Pipe re-uses 80% of that heat. Also, the system has no moving parts, so you can expect it to last pretty much till they have to tear the house down. And, as if that weren't good enough already, it's also made with 80% recycled materials, and designed to be completely recycled at the end of it's life.
So, a family of four heating with electricity can expect to see savings of just under $500 a year! And there's more: while chatting with one of the owners of renewABILITY Energy, he told me about a gym that he just fitted with two dozen Power-Pipes ...my head reeled doing the Rainman math--- they're going to save almost $16K a year, not to mention the reduction of GhG emissions! I love it. I want it.