Earlier quoted context omitted.
You’re in the uk?
No, but I was given to understand that winter => cold => dry air was driven by the basic physical properties, so I would be very curious if it was different there. Is it different in the UK, and if so, why?
Re-using the heat in bathwater in Britain
31–40 of 257 posts
Re: Re-using the heat in bathwater in Britain
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
You’re in the uk?
No, but I was given to understand that winter => cold => dry air was driven by the basic physical properties, so I would be very curious if it was different there. Is it different in the UK, and if so, why?
Right now, it’s 81% humidity. Our laundry has been taking two days to air dry.
Re: Re-using the heat in bathwater in Britain
#33I tried this once on a cold winter day: I let the bath cool down to room temperature (which was <20C) before letting it drain, with the bathroom door open. The result was a lot of condensation on the windows in the surrounding rooms. I figured the high humidity was going to cause more damage than it saved money, so I scrapped the idea.
Re: Re-using the heat in bathwater in Britain
#34This is so much more reasonable than that …other… Modest Proposal.
Re: Re-using the heat in bathwater in Britain
#35All together the total costs of the extra cleaning resulting from this may exceed the cost savings from letting the water heat your home.
Re: Re-using the heat in bathwater in Britain
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
You’re in the uk?
No, but I was given to understand that winter => cold => dry air was driven by the basic physical properties, so I would be very curious if it was different there. Is it different in the UK, and if so, why?
Re: Re-using the heat in bathwater in Britain
#37Energy poverty can be sorted out by better insulation and investment in cheaper and more sustainable sources such as nuclear, wind and solar. Instead of working around this issue with clever hacks this needs to be a national policy. I think all roofs should be mandated to have solar panels installed, as a start, and all new builds should have proper insulation.
I think a step further is required. I really like the idea of using solar panels as an integral part of the roofing structure. There are people in the UK doing this as integrated solar panels which use a plastic tray underneath. I think with some slight adaptions we could even do better.
Re: Re-using the heat in bathwater in Britain
#38Usually district heating systems route heat into your building's pipes using a heat exchanger - so the network's fluid never actually intermingles with your building's fluid lines. These systems also use the same heat exchanger to return excess heat back to the network. District heating systems require a large initial investment, but over the long term are very efficient.
Re: Re-using the heat in bathwater in Britain
#39I tried this once on a cold winter day: I let the bath cool down to room temperature (which was <20C) before letting it drain, with the bathroom door open. The result was a lot of condensation on the windows in the surrounding rooms. I figured the high humidity was going to cause more damage than it saved money, so I scrapped the idea.
Although higher humidity should make it feel warmer given the same ambient temperature. So if you're increasing the temperature mildly using this method AND increasing humidity, it may compound one another positively. Although, it is a minor efficiency gain either way.
Hot damp air feels hotter than hot dry air, but I've had the idea that cold damp air feels colder than cold dry air. Is that a misconception?
Re: Re-using the heat in bathwater in Britain
#40I was actually looking at heat recuperation systems for bathrooms recently and stumbled upon https://ecodrain.com/en/ - if we hadn’t already remodeled our bathrooms I’d have loved to have installed this. For now we make do with a heat pump water heater which is very efficient.
You'd probably have to filter the shower water before sending it through, but beyond that I wonder how different the principle is. Maybe being easy to clean is a significant factor in drain showers.