Hotels, leisure operators and other commercial buildings with high levels of shower use are being urged to consider Waste Water Heat Recovery (WWHR) as a simple way to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions – with the technology capable of delivering a rapid return on investment in high-use settings.
Showersave, whose WWHR systems recovers heat from used shower water to pre-heat incoming cold water, says the measure is often overlooked by businesses investing in energy efficiency and decarbonisation, despite the potential financial benefits.
With businesses facing increasing pressure to improve energy efficiency while keeping control of operating and capital costs, Showersave is encouraging commercial building owners, facilities managers and finance directors to consider reducing energy demand before investing in new energy generation and heating technologies.
Alex Parkinson, Sales Director at Showersave, said: “When businesses think about decarbonisation, the conversation often jumps straight to technologies such as heat pumps or solar panels. But before investing in new ways to generate heat, it makes sense to look at how you can reduce the amount of energy the building needs.
“We naturally think about insulation and windows when reducing heat loss, but the energy used to produce hot water can be overlooked. If you’re paying to heat water and then sending that energy straight down the drain, that’s an opportunity lost to recover energy and reduce costs.”
Showersave’s systems are particularly suited to buildings with high and consistent levels of shower use, including hotels, gyms, spas, leisure centres, student accommodation, care homes and healthcare facilities.
The potential return on investment increases with shower use. In one example calculated using Showersave’s energy savings tool, a commercial installation serving 100 daily 10-minute showers was estimated to deliver annual savings in excess of £8,000 across the fuel types assessed, with a rate of return on investment of less than six months.*
Reducing hot water energy demand at the outset could also help businesses optimise subsequent investment in heating and hot water systems. Depending on the project, reducing demand first may enable the size – and therefore cost – of capital-intensive equipment to be reduced.
Showersave is a passive technology that operates automatically whenever a shower is used, requiring no change in behaviour from guests, residents or other building occupants. With no moving parts, it also has minimal maintenance requirements.
“Energy efficiency and commercial return don’t have to be mutually exclusive,” added Alex. “Showersave is a simple technology that many commercial building owners may not even realise is available to them, but the more showers being used, the greater the opportunity to recover energy that would otherwise be wasted.
“For finance directors in particular, that’s an important conversation. It’s about identifying measures that can reduce operating costs now while also supporting the organisation’s wider sustainability and decarbonisation objectives.”
Showersave technology can be considered for both new-build and retrofit projects, although the suitability of retrofit installations will depend on the individual building and its existing plumbing infrastructure. Showersave can undertake a site assessment to establish whether a property is suitable and identify the most appropriate installation approach.
For more information, call 028 9334 4488, email sales@showersave.com or visit www.showersave.com.
*Savings are indicative and based on a Showersave calculation for 100 showers per day, each lasting 10 minutes at a flow rate of 9 litres per minute. Actual savings and payback will vary depending on factors including shower usage, water temperatures, system configuration and energy source.
