Making Use of Hot Shower Water through EcoDrain


While still not widely-practice, harnessing heat of machineries in various industries has long been explored as a possible source of renewable energy. In the home, one source of wasted heat that could be harnessed is used shower water. If the conditions are right, the water that goes down the bathroom drain could still be hot, thereby wasting energy. One possible solution to harnessing this wasted heat is EcoDrain - it's a heat exchange unit that uses heat from the used shower water onto the incoming water.

According to Inhabitat, EcoDrain is a really simple unit with no moving parts, requiring an easy installation and even no maintenance. The device has two compartments inside separated by double walls - one compartment transports hot water, the other transports cold incoming water. By shuttling hot and cold water with just a wall in between, EcoDrain claims it can lower water heater use by up to an impressive 40 percent. You don't even have to worry about debris collecting inside it, because it's coated in a non-stick substance. Unfortunately, building code prevents the widespread installation of EcoDrain in households, but the people behind the project are working to make it relevant to the LEED for homes program.

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