Invention Reference Number
Estimates based on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) test procedure for water heaters indicate that the equivalent of 350 billion kWh worth of hot water is discarded annually through drains, and a large portion of this energy is, in fact, recoverable. To recover this energy heat exchangers on the sewer drain are required. Hot water is extensively used in both residential and commercial buildings for various activities, including showers, sinks, clothes washers, dishwashers, and bathtubs. Water heating alone accounts for 18% of residential electricity consumption. The hot water is drained without recovering its wasted heat after usage, contributing to approximately 80-90% of energy loss in water heating. The enhanced drain waste heat exchanger improves the typical performance of a drain recovery heat exchanger by up to 2.5 times.
Contact
To learn more about this technology, email partnerships@ornl.gov or call 865-574-1051.
