Category Archives: Project Planning

EcoBuild: Waste Water / Drain Water / Shower, Heat Recovery

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At Passivhaus levels of energy efficiency hot water accounts for more energy than space heating.

At last weeks Ecobuild, I saw a couple of systems that do this. They capture the heat from hot water that is going down the drain and feed it back into the hot water system. It seems there are 2 systems:

  1. A vertical pipe that the hot water flows down, usually slowed, around the cold water mains supply. Their is heat exchange from the waste water to the cold water, that, in these systems typically, feeds into the water heater / hot water tank.

  2. A system linked to just the shower. So that the heat in the shower waste is immediately put back into the shower. As most showers have a thermostatic valve, this means an instant and guaranteed gain.

+ & – Thoughts

Check the cost of the system Vs the predicted and probable saving for an evaluation of how long the system will take to pay for itself.

  • One of the 2 systems at Ecobuild was the, €299 retail price, system, that you can see at http://zypho.eu/english.html. So price wise, VERY worth considering,  but need to see if:
    • Have to use, what looked like, the integrated shower tray cap / valve bit, or can this work with any shower tray and it’s drainage inlet?
    • Will it cope with sand if used as the post surf outside shower?
    • What is the cost implication of this on each shower Vs a system that copes with multiple showers and other hot water drain pipes (bath, washing machine, dish washer).
    • Does it reduce the cold water pressure? (Does this matter ?)
      I’ve emailed Zypho these questions 
    • Nice write up on the Zypho unit at Ecobuild on the HardHouse blog by Mark.
      – looks good, but questions the heat exchanger and it isn’t yet fully UK approved.
  • Cost Implications:

If used for an external, post surfing, shower, will the system cope with sand, mud, dirt etc?
– it does look like the  Bristol based shower tray system could be put in post a sand trap !
– could even have this bit under the floor in the house and not outside where the cold, frosts etc. could be a problem. It could then also link in to the water outflow from the washing machine, dishwasher and any other ground water outflows of warm / hot water.
–  http://shower-save.com/Joomla_SS/pdfs/Adaptor%20to%2040mm%20for%20RT1-e.pdf
–  http://shower-save.com/pdfs/Recoh-Tray%20grey%20water%20heat%20recovery.pdf

 Per Shower Vertical Pipe
 + Point
  • More efficient as waste water heat put straight back into the shower being taken.
  • Could mean one system to grab the heat from hot water from multiple showers / baths / sinks / washing machines / dish washer etc.
  • Apparently more efficient, as the falling water naturally coats the sides of the pipe (not just the bottom)
 – Point
  • Does this reduce the shower pressure ?
  • Does the system cope fine with shower problems such as hair blocking them up ?
  • You could be sending warmed cold water to an already full heating system. eg You run a bath and by the time you empty the bath the tank has already re-filled itself.
  • Only works for waster water that is on the first floor so that it can flow down the vertical pipe. Seems to have been developed in the US where it can be fitted in the typically occurring basement water inflows.

It seems that if you could get a single whole house heat recovery system that auto feeds the cold water supply to showers, and if they aren’t being used sends the preheated cold water to the water boiler (if it’s not full) would be the best. See the schematic below from http://www.gfxtechnology.com/H-3.pdf

This is also how it’s been set up in the schematic at Bristol (UK) based  http://shower-save.com/
 – also see animation they have at http://content.wavin.com/WAXUK.NSF/pages/Certus-ShowerSave-Animation-EN/$FILE/ShowerSave.swf

UK Water Heat Recovery Supplier Listing:

Test Data for Recoh Units:

From http://shower-save.com/gastec.html

  • Recoh-vert 61.2% efficient, with a mixer shower
  • Recoh-tray is 46.9% efficient, with a mixer shower

Shower-Save is even more efficient with a low flow rate or electric shower:

  • Recoh-vert 64.0% efficient with electric or other low flowrate shower
  • Recoh-tray is 52.6% efficient with electric or other low flowrate shower

Schematics of Waste Water Heat Recovery Systems

Notes from other Websites re these systems:

From http://www.gfxtechnology.com/H-3.pdf:

  • Typically, 80–90 percent of the energy used to heat water in the home goes down the drain. Heat exchangers capture some of the heat in drain-water, allowing it to be reused by incoming water. One type, called a gravity film exchange drain-water heat recovery system, has been found to save 25–30 percent of total water-heating energy needed.
  • This technology is compatible with all types of water heating systems, but it is especially suitable with on-demand water heaters and solar thermal systems. Prices range from $300–400 and paybacks are in the range of 2.5 to 7 years, depending on how often it is used.

From http://www.renewability.com/power_pipe/index.html:

  • Falling film heat exchangers have been around for decades. Other than utilizing the “falling film” effect, however, the Power-Pipe® has little in common with other Drain Water Heat Recovery (DWHR) devices.
  • First generation units suffer from high water pressure loss in the freshwater supply, which causes flow problems. Second generation units resolve the pressure loss issue by adopting a non-counter flow heat exchanger design, which delivers a low heat transfer performance.

Other Water Heat Exchange Systems & Discussions:

From Earth Save Products (bottom of the page) their Heat Squirrel – 120ltr heat recovery vessel (for domestic waste water)
Heat Squirrel - schematic
Heat Squirrel - installed

Change Your Behaviour – Bath water heat recovery

One behavioural solution to waste water heat recovery, is to just leave a hot bath, hot sink of water full to cool down and transfer it’s heat to the room(s) before you pull the plug. How often do we pull the plug on a bath of hot water to let that heat head off down the drain, when we could let it cool down (ie heat the interior or the house) first ?

Life cycle of window materials – energy consumption and environmental impacts

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A great report by the School of Engineering at Napier University in Edinburgh on windows:

Frames of different materials have been assessed on the basis of their production, energy consumption and environmental impacts.

The investigation shows that aluminium and PVC frames exhibit large amounts of
environmental burdens. Accelerated ageing tests have been carried out to test the
durability of windows against weathering impacts. These tests show that aluminium clad timber windows are comparatively least affected by environmental impacts.

CONCLUSIONS (from the article)

  • Aluminium frames cause the highest burden to the environment because of the dangerous pollutants release and high energy consumption during aluminium production. PVC contributes large amounts of poisonous pollutants throughout its life cycle, while timber window frames have the least environmental burdens.
  • Embodied energy analysis has been carried out for a standard 1.2m × 1.2m window. Aluminium windows have the highest embodied energy, amounting to 6GJ. PVC, Al-clad timber and timber windows have embodied energy of 2980MJ, 1460MJ and 995MJ respectively.
  • All frame materials deteriorate to various degrees by environmental impacts. PVC is sensitive towards heat and UV radiation. Timber if not frequently treated, can easily be affected by environment. Aluminium, if not protected well by coatings, gets damaged under corrosive conditions especially in coastal and industrial areas. Al-clad frames are unlikely to deteriorate due to their protective coatings and appear to be the best choice from this point of view.
  • A survey analysis shows that aluminium and timber windows can easily last more than 40 years. Al-clad timber being new on the market, is expected to have a service life well over 40 years. PVC windows, in most cases, are reported to have an optimum service life of 25 years.

Scarlet Hotel inspiration

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Robert from ra-studio and myself went to the the The Scarlet Hotel,  for lunch to go over the plans progress and also to look at several aspects of the Scarlet Hotel that Robert had not seen.

As ever, a stunning lunch with amazing service and some more ideas / inspiration.

Some of which was reminding myself and showing Robert their smaller bedroom layout.

I also thought that we might consider having a central strip / floor corridor of wood from the entrance area, past and through the living area and kitchen, to the top of the 3 stairs down to the lounge. The current plan is slate or tiles for the entrance and living area (dinning, kitchen etc.) and wood for the lower living area.

I also like their stone work fire breast, but not sure this will work.

And good to see further Cornish wood cladding.

Utility, shower and plant room

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The idea is that in addition to a downstairs loo and room for shoes and coats, there will be a room for the washing machine, that also has in it a shower, sink, drying rack, and probably screened off, the “plant”.

The plant elements aren’t foliage etc. but the large bits of machinery for the house such as the hot water tank, Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) unit etc.

So, not a lot more on this at the moment, but spotted this photo, that could be a start of this room. ie put the washing machine in a cupboard ?

Waikiki Chic contemporary bathroom

Components:

  • Washing machine
  • Shower
  • Hot water tank
  • MVHR unit
  • Sink
  • Drying area – potentially with a drip tray, as it will probably include wetsuits etc.

It’d make sense to look over the photos etc. for the coats, shoes etc. room.

Not a fan of this look and feel, but the storage looks good for the utility plant room.

traditional-laundry-room

The idea below of an over the washing machines hanging rail could work well. But there also needs to be some full height hanging for wetsuits to dry.

over the washing machines hanging rail

hand rail could be elsewhere:

hanging rail

Washer and dryer platforms. The laundry room below puts the washer and dryer on a pedestal. I’m not having a drying machine, but it might be good to put the washing machine on a slight pedestal.

washing machine raised

Utility room sink to rinse wetsuits etc.

Also some counter top space.

The plant utility room might have extra space for the recycling (there will be some in the kitchen units).

IMG_1335

Winter Driving Rain May Increase

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OK, we know that man made climate change is here, but don’t know how much the systems will tip it to being worse or to self regulate (or stay on the current trajectory).

But it does mean, that on top of it being a very exposed site, there is the potential for driving rain to increase. See the map below, taken from www.innovateuk.org (PDF).

Talking to surrounding residents, that also look out over Perranporth beach, they all say the site gets a full weather beating on a regular basis. The www.innovateuk.org (PDF) recommends the following detailing, that I’m sure ra-studio are already on top of:

  • recessed window and door reveals
  • projecting cills with drips
  • render finishes
  • extended eaves
  • greater laps and fixings to roof and cladding fixings
  • avoidance of fully filled cavities.
There is also (apparently) the issue that materials may behave differently. Again, I’ll leave that to Robert at ra-studio.

Choosing a builder

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The Housebuilders Bible outlines how to choose a builder on page 88.

This will, in part be determined by the building method.

Simon Crabb (planned project administrator) has suggested that in terms of managing the project cost, to get each of the contractors to provide a separate quote for the groundworks as this could be done by an additional separate contractor.

It seems to make sense to get builders / contractors to break down the quote, so that they can be compared with others.

Contractors / Routes

There are a LOT of companies that have a variety of full service or part service systems to consider:

Homebuilding & Renovating magazine are piloting a new service within My Building Project, and have teamed up with HBXL to create a unique network of builders local to you to help build your dream home. So when looking for estimates, a local builder etc. could be worth looking at http://www.mybuildingproject.co.uk/en/builder-network.html

Have a look at this blog post, on companies that will off-site build the house (usually with SIPs).

Suppliers:

  • The Cornwall Sustainable Partnership (www.csep.co.uk) provided initial information on local energy experts and green roof suppliers.
  • The Association of Environmentally Conscious Builders (www.aecb.co.uk) is a British-wide network that promotes sustainable building; find local professionals and product suppliers via its website.
  • The Green Roof Centre (www.thegreenroofcentre.co.uk) is an independent research hub founded by the University of Sheffield that has excellent general information about green roof uses.

Partial Builders Short List:

Also see this post re What to do, with who.

External Layout

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Rob from ra-studio is continuing to come up with amazing architectural and design solutions for the project. Successfully converting my “living requirements”, tear sheets,  thoughts and ideas into something that is really coming together.

As the house layout gets closer to something that will need to be costed up, we need to add in the context of the space in front and behind the house, so I went through my notes and found this magazine page and sketch:

I like the low wall from the patio, for sitting on, then a flower bed, instead of a wall. Central steps that’d go down to the flat grass over the garage roof. I don’t like the drop in height from what will be the lounge.

Interesting to find this early days sketch layout:

  • The idea of the external hot shower being under the stairs down from the rear parking, so you can look out through the stairs at the view. This assumed the stairs wouldn’t be in the ground behind the rear courtyard, which is the current likely and sensible plan.
  • Suggests downstairs utility to include a shower.
  • Small side walls to the living space courtyard. I wonder if these will now be included or not. I’ll leave that for Rob’s input.
  • I’d forgotten the idea of a space for bins on bin day. The current idea, is that there could be a side door from here into the garage.

There is also the “Droskyn Development” planned for the land to the south of the house. Below is an annotated illustration from the thus far proposed plans. This means there will be properties, across a road to the rear of the property.

Proposed Droskyn Development plans - impact on Silver Spray

The NASA Design Process

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http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/plantgrowth/reference/Eng_Design_5-12.html

STEP 1: Identify the Problem — Students should state the challenge problem in their own words. Example: How can I design a __________ that will __________?

STEP 2: Identify Criteria and Constraints — Students should specify the design requirements (criteria). Example: Our growth chamber must have a growing surface of 10 square feet and have a delivery volume of 3 cubic feet or less. Students should list the limits on the design due to available resources and the environment (constraints). Example: Our growth chamber must be accessible to astronauts without the need for leaving the spacecraft.

STEP 3: Brainstorm Possible Solutions — Each student in the group should sketch his or her own ideas as the group discusses ways to solve the problem. Labels and arrows should be included to identify parts and how they might move. These drawings should be quick and brief.

STEP 4: Generate Ideas — In this step, each student should develop two or three ideas more thoroughly. Students should create new drawings that are orthographic projections (multiple views showing the top, front and one side) and isometric drawings (three-dimensional depiction). These are to be drawn neatly, using rulers to draw straight lines and to make parts proportional. Parts and measurements should be labeled clearly.

STEP 5: Explore Possibilities — The developed ideas should be shared and discussed among the team members. Students should record pros and cons of each design idea directly on the paper next to the drawings.

STEP 6: Select an Approach — Students should work in teams and identify the design that appears to solve the problem the best. Students should write a statement that describes why they chose the solution. This should include some reference to the criteria and constraints identified above.

STEP 7: Build a Model or Prototype — Students will construct a full-size or scale model based on their drawings. The teacher will help identify and acquire appropriate modeling materials and tools. See the design brief for a sample list.

STEP 8: Refine the Design — Students will examine and evaluate their prototypes or designs based on the criteria and constraints. Groups may enlist students from other groups to review the solution and help identify changes that need to be made. Based on criteria and constraints, teams must identify any problems and proposed solutions.

I like the splash of blue on white

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image

This idea and these colours could be used for both the kitchen and the coats etc. store area.

Colours wise, it seems to tie in with this property that I feel has a nice coastal look and feel through the materials and colours:

Having the kitchen island a stand out colour:

Interesting, how in this picture the white becomes the stand out item.
– I’m thinking the colour being the lower volume item(s) will work better at Silver Spray.

I must dig out the information I found on kitchen tops that are made from recycled materials.

  • Wood looks great, but you have to look after it, for it not to slowly not look as good.
  • I’m not convinced by marble. I’ll have to look at a few.
  • This kitchen with light grey floors and wooden tops seems to work well:

I’ll have to get some designer, friends and family input on something this modern or a more traditional look such as:

Layout wise, still stuck on whether the island should have the cooker +/or sink +/or water source.

If it does, then this kitchen extractor hood looks great.