Page 61 - Green Builder March-April 2016 Issue

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Rewarding Innovation

This past January, IWS was awarded a
Green Building Innovation Award at the
AHR Expo (a heating, ventilating, AC and
refrigeration convention). The annual AHR
Expo Innovation Awards competition
honors the most inventive and original
products, systems and technologies and is
judged by a panel of experts from ASHRAE
(American Society of Heating, Refrigerating,
and Air-Conditioning Engineers).

Heat Source. The Sewage SHARC from International Wastewater IMAGE CREDIT: INTERNATIONAL WASTEWATER SYSTEMS
Systems processes raw sewage in preparation for recovering its IMAGE CREDIT: INTERNATIONAL WASTEWATER SYSTEMS
heat energy. The system is fully sealed and odor-free.
Ground Control. DDC system controls include a touch screen
all of the units at about 550 percent efficiency, saving the residents interface, data logging and remote monitoring capability.
about 70 percent on their hot water heating bills. In addition, there
is an estimated 100 ton per year emissions reduction. Watch the system in action here:
http://bit.ly/1pok4x8
MARKET OUTLOOK

Mueller says there is a two- to five-year payback for the Piranha
system for multifamily building owners. “The cost is based on the
size of the building, but, for example, if you have 50 units, you would
need one Piranha at about $60,000, which would make about 4,000
gallons of heated water a day,” he says. “It’s not custom equipment;
it comes as a package and is virtually maintenance-free.”

IWS is now developing a prototype in Europe for single-family
homes. “It won’t be on the market for some time, because usually
the per-household water use is about 900-1,000 gallons a year,
so the payback would be longer. But we are working with boiler
manufacturers on ideas,” Mueller explains.

He points to HRV and ERV adoption as an example of how
wastewater heat extraction will probably follow: “HRVs were a pain
in the rear when they first came out. Now they are code, and you can’t
build without them. More energy can be recovered from water than
air, and for this reason we think our [type of system] will be a code
item soon one day.” A few forward-thinking companies, including
Nexus eWater, are counting on this, and have already developed
waste heat recovery technologies for the residential market.

“The future for the environment, for the world, is to do things
differently,” Mueller says. “Recycling waste water will be key, and we
want to be a part of it.” GB

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