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Friday, October 31, 2014

Save More $$$$$

Heat Recovery Units

heat-recovery-unit
Ex. Heat Recovery Unit
Here's another way for you to save money on your energy bills. This solution has been around for many years, but has faded in popularity due to it not being promoted by the major power companies for various reasons. This solution allows you to utilize the heat created by your AC compressor to heat the water in your home or business. Unlike other systems, this requires a very low amount of energy to function.

Your AC compressor runs every time your AC runs to cool your space. What happens is the hot freon is piped into the Heat Recovery Unit. Your AC is running anyway, why not transfer some of the heat that is normally removed by the condenser coil into your water? This Recovery unit has the water for the home piped to it as well. These two piping systems are coiled together so that the water picks up the heat from the freon line. There is a small water pump inside the Recovery System which supplements the flow of the water. This is the only energy "consumed" to make the system work.

recovery-system-diagram
Heat Recovery System Diagram



With this system in operation, the water heater only needs to supplement the Recovery Unit and in turn uses only a fraction of the energy it normally uses. The water heater being one of the main energy users of a home, is barely needed to heat the water. This effect WILL save you big money on energy bills. It is a very simple system with minimal moving parts and rarely needs servicing.

One aspect to keep in mind is that installing this system requires a modification of the freon lines inside the condensing unit. This is something you would want to check out with the manufacturer of your AC system. Sometimes modifications like this can void manufacturers warranties. Also, you may need to have a plumber extend the main water line out to the AC condenser unit area.

cut-away-recovery-system
Cut-Away of Heat Recovery


Just another option for you to save money on power bills. This may not be a possible solution for everyone. However, it will greatly benefit anyone who is able to implement it. Please let us know if you have any questions about this system, we are happy to help. Best of luck on saving money, we're here for you 24/7. Stay tuned for more posts about making your home or business more energy efficient.

P.S.  For more information on saving energy with your air conditioning system, visit our page on Preventative Maintenance.