Save 40% of Water Heating Costs with EcoDrain

Some ideas are so simple that I wonder how comes I didn’t think of them first. Well, need teaches the man, and when you’re in an economical crisis like we are now, the number of people thinking of efficient/economic solutions is getting bigger and bigger, and the chance of missing one aspect of something that can be recycled dims.

David Velan and Marc Hoffman, from Canada, have founded a small company that wants to promote EcoDrain, its only green product, by now. The idea behind this energy gadget is simple: every time you take a shower, or wash your hands and, generally, use hot water, you waste a lot of energy down the drain in the form of hot water. That energy is really a big waste, because a lot of energy is put into heating that water.

Well, EcoDrain recollects the heat from the drain pipe, passes it through a heat exchanger similar to the one in you fridge (but much simpler), and transfers the collected heat into the cold water pipe, heating it a little bit. Normally, you’ll need less heated water to do the same effect you need, because suddenly the cold water you have is not so cold anymore, and you save energy by reducing the hot water knob. That small amount of heat transferred is said to save you a precious 40% in heating expenses.

Imagine how huge the saved energy would be (and how big EcoDrain would be) if every house all over the world used it. This is really something very useful in our efforts to go green – at least energetically.