RESNET ISSUES HERS INDEX ENERGY CREDITS FOR DRAIN WATER HEAT RECOVERY (DWHR) TECHNOLOGIES
Hazleton, PA – Builders and homeowners now have a new, cost-effective way to reduce their Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index scores.
Drain Water Heat Recovery (DWHR) technology uses outgoing warm drain water to pre-heat incoming cold fresh water. The result is that the primary water heater uses less energy to provide domestic hot water for the home and, at the same time, increases the effective hot water capacity.
The US Department of Energy reports that water heating is the second largest energy use in single-family homes and multi-family buildings across America. DWHR technology is recognized as an energy saving measure (www.energy.gov/energysaver/articles/drain-water-heat-recovery) and many utilities currently have incentive programs for adoption of DWHR technology.
RenewABILITY Energy Inc. has been manufacturing the Power-Pipe® DWHR technology for over 10 years. The CEO and Founder, Gerald Van Decker, states, “Including DWHR technology in new homes has become common practice for many builders in Ontario in the last few years and over 35,000 homes now have the Power-Pipe….in fact the Power-Pipe will be included in at least 1 out of every 3 new homes built this year in the Toronto region. A HERS Index credit has been available in Canada for over 2 years. I’m pleased that American builders and homeowners can now use Drain Water Heat Recovery technology to reduce their HERS Index scores by 1 to 3 points, dependent upon a number of factors including house size, location and DWHR rated efficiency.” RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network) has designed a spreadsheet tool that calculates and permits for a HERS score improvement by installing DWHR technology. It accompanies approved HERS software. The RESNET DWHR tool, along with background information, can be found at: www.resnet.us/professional/standards/innovative_design_requests
Power-Pipe® Drain Water Heat Recovery technology is affordable, practical, and proven. It has no moving parts and requires no maintenance. The Power-Pipe primarily saves energy from showers, which use up to 80% of the hot water in homes, apartment buildings, and health clubs. The Power-Pipe works with any type of water heating system and is also used in many commercial operations such as hotels, hospitals, laundry facilities and restaurants as well as in industrial processes. HomeDepot.com has been offering the Power-Pipe to homeowners, contractors, and builders online for over 2 years now: www.homedepot.com/s/power-pipe?NCNI-5.
Typically the Power-Pipe reduces water heating energy consumption by 20 to 35%, though smaller units save less and the larger units can provide up to 48% energy savings in the average home. Putting this into perspective, “whole-home energy consumption” is usually reduced by 4 to 7% and as much as 10%. “Decreasing energy costs for American homeowners is an effective way to increase a family’s quality of life” said Gerald Van Decker. “Power-Pipe Drain Water Heat Recovery systems enable homeowners to cost-effectively save a significant amount of energy, helping to reduce monthly household expenses and reduce Green House Gas emissions by about 200 pounds per person per year with Natural Gas Water Heating….which is a yearly reduction of more than an average adult’s weight. It is a great “Carbon Weight-Loss” technology!”
The technology was developed and is manufactured by RenewABILITY Energy Inc. It is sold across North America, Europe and Asia. The Power-Pipe system can be viewed on YouTube at:
1. Video with Infrared: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iwMXxjUBzk
2. Other videos: www.youtube.com/user/RenewABILITYenergy
About RESNET The Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) was founded in 1995 as an independent, non-profit organization committed to helping homeowners reduce the cost of their utility bills by making their homes more energy efficient. RESNET is responsible for creating the national training and certification standards for HERS Raters and Home Energy Survey Professionals, both of which are recognized by federal government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. mortgage industry. For more information contact Steve Baden at sbaden@natresnet.org or visit www.resnet.us.
About the HERS Index The HERS Index was created by RESNET in order to give homeowners and buyers a standard by which they could measure the efficiency of homes they currently own or want to purchase. To arrive at a home’s HERS score a Certified HERS Rater first performs an energy audit on the home. The audit data is compared against a reference home of the same size and shape and which would comply to the 2006 International Energy and Conservation Code (IECC). The lower a home’s HERS score is, the more energy efficient the home is. For more information on the HERS Index visit: www.HERSindex.com. The HERS Index is used by many counties for energy code compliance, used to assess Energy Star for New Homes compliance, for LEED for Homes and a number of other home labelling programs. It can also be used as an alternative compliance path under the 2015 IECC. MLS in a number of States now includes HERS Index Scores for the homes that they list; for example: www.hersindex.com/articles/finding-energy-efficient-homes-mls/ and www.hersindex.com/press-releases/colorado-include-index-score-mls/.
About RenewABILITY Energy Inc. Founded in 2000, RenewABILITY Energy Inc. manufactures the Power-Pipe® Drain Water Heat Recovery system in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada with American operations based in Hazelton, PA. The patented and patent pending Power-Pipe systems are sold across Canada, the United States and Europe. For more details, please visit www.Power-Pipe.com or contact us at: media@renewability.com, 1-877-606-5559 or 1-519-885-0283.
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