Did you know it’s possible to recover heat from waste water as it goes down your drain? You can by installing a drain-water heat-recovery system in your home. The system saves energy costs by warming water for your shower by using recovered heat. These systems are available for other appliances such as dishwashers.
According to experts, if your house uses enough water to take four seven-minute showers each day while using a standard shower head, you will save around 180 cubic meters of natural gas per year. If you have electric water heating, you can save over 1,400 kilowatt-hours per year. The recovery systems cost between $300 and $500 plus installation. Depending on the type of energy you use and the rates you pay, the system can pay for itself in as little as 2.5 years.
Read more about how the system works at the Department of Energy web site.
