Modernity focuses a lot of its means on efficiency. It's a prime directive in energy and labor and market methodologies. But it seems to me (beyond your excellent analysis using scientific facts and data) "efficiency" is leveraged a tool to continue a system of living that always ends up increasing consumption and waste...a fancy way to hide the paradoxical pea, instead facing the consequences of an astoundingly destructive high energy lifestyle.
I don't mean to be critical of your work, I actually appreciate it. I'm just also curious what you think of the meta-role of efficiency in modern times. I mean, simply being more efficient at incessant exponential growth, which will always require more energy input seems absolutely bonkers.
The idea that civilizations advanced enough will eventually build structures around stars (Dyson's Sphere) to collect all its energy... How much energy would be required to build such a thing?
I think this overlooks that the bathroom is not the place you want to heat (at least, we don’t heat ours). The amount of heat needed to keep e.g. the living room and kitchen warm will hardly be reduced and those are usually where the majority of heating energy goes.
I always allow the water to collect in my shower. I don't find it unpleasant at all to step in, in fact the warm water warms up my feet and makes the bottom of the shower less slippery when I wash my feet and then put the soapy foot back on the bottom of the tub. I also let the hot water collect so that it warms up the cold bathroom in the morning, but this is only important in the winter. I'm not sure I like your calculation. well first you only want to save the water heat ~1/2 of the year. Second some fraction of the water heating energy goes to just keeping the water warm in the tank. (I'm not sure what the fraction is here.) I'd do a more direct calculation, take your ~3kWh per shower and compare that to how much energy goes into heating your house, (For me I use ~700 gallons of heating oil/ yr. (I live in near Buffalo, NY USA) 1.4e5 BTU/ gallon * 3e-4 kWh/BTU is ~3e4 kWh, I heat maybe 200 days per year so ~150 kWh/ day. ) (oops made a mistake the first time.)
I am British and living in a London exurb. Having had a shower, I am now running a dehumidifier, yes a dehumidifier, for an hour to prevent my home from being damp. Typical ambient humidity here is more like Florida than California, so rarely below 80%, whilst the outside temperature is currently 5.5 degC. Consequently all British homes, ancient and modern, tend to have to battle mould caused by condensation on exterior-adjacent walls. Just last week a young child died from such mould going untreated (you can easily Google the headlines) Although I love the principle of heat reclamation from wastewater, in reality it would need to be captured in a heat exchanger linked to the waste pipe system to prevent extra evaporation - and consequently require re-plumbing of the house (and be completely impossible for flats) to separate the warm waste water from the unheated foul waste, I think. Also, since few houses here have basements or cellars, I'm not sure where we're going to locate such heat exchangers. Nice idea though :)
I think some sewerage plants are actually already experimenting with doing it on a grander collective scale, but whether it will prove feasible is as yet unknown.
An inquisitive mind is a wonderful place! I respect and commend your research and tenacity. However, I differ on ONE of those percentages; which starts the Domino Effect, which creates chaos!
You say 90% of the heat in the water delivered, goes down the drain, right?
As an example, a gram of 90° water, leaving the showerhead, will be 81° when it goes down the drain? Not to insult your intelligence (100% Delivered @90° - 10% heat loss (9°) = 81° of heated water is going down the drain?? I don't think so
A single gram of 90°, delivered shower water will lose Temp the moment it leaves the nozzle; exponentially, I'm sure! The farther & longer it travels the geosphere of the shower; the heat will release till saturation; MUCH MORE than 10% !!! You're a "DETAILS" thinker, too, I see! It can get in my way sometimes it was fun reading your article; looking forward to being here!
200 IQ: we can reduce the energy crisis by using bath and shower water to heat your home
300 IQ: We can further mitigate the energy crisis by having short and cold showers.
150000 IQ: If we stop showering we can end the energy crisis.
Evaporation subtracts heat, though, doesn't it?
I wonder how much heat is lost if you have a bunch of room-temperature water sitting in your apartment, slowly evaporating.
Modernity focuses a lot of its means on efficiency. It's a prime directive in energy and labor and market methodologies. But it seems to me (beyond your excellent analysis using scientific facts and data) "efficiency" is leveraged a tool to continue a system of living that always ends up increasing consumption and waste...a fancy way to hide the paradoxical pea, instead facing the consequences of an astoundingly destructive high energy lifestyle.
I don't mean to be critical of your work, I actually appreciate it. I'm just also curious what you think of the meta-role of efficiency in modern times. I mean, simply being more efficient at incessant exponential growth, which will always require more energy input seems absolutely bonkers.
The idea that civilizations advanced enough will eventually build structures around stars (Dyson's Sphere) to collect all its energy... How much energy would be required to build such a thing?
Madness!
Amazing thought process. I often wonder about this kind of stuff as well :).
I think this overlooks that the bathroom is not the place you want to heat (at least, we don’t heat ours). The amount of heat needed to keep e.g. the living room and kitchen warm will hardly be reduced and those are usually where the majority of heating energy goes.
I always allow the water to collect in my shower. I don't find it unpleasant at all to step in, in fact the warm water warms up my feet and makes the bottom of the shower less slippery when I wash my feet and then put the soapy foot back on the bottom of the tub. I also let the hot water collect so that it warms up the cold bathroom in the morning, but this is only important in the winter. I'm not sure I like your calculation. well first you only want to save the water heat ~1/2 of the year. Second some fraction of the water heating energy goes to just keeping the water warm in the tank. (I'm not sure what the fraction is here.) I'd do a more direct calculation, take your ~3kWh per shower and compare that to how much energy goes into heating your house, (For me I use ~700 gallons of heating oil/ yr. (I live in near Buffalo, NY USA) 1.4e5 BTU/ gallon * 3e-4 kWh/BTU is ~3e4 kWh, I heat maybe 200 days per year so ~150 kWh/ day. ) (oops made a mistake the first time.)
I am British and living in a London exurb. Having had a shower, I am now running a dehumidifier, yes a dehumidifier, for an hour to prevent my home from being damp. Typical ambient humidity here is more like Florida than California, so rarely below 80%, whilst the outside temperature is currently 5.5 degC. Consequently all British homes, ancient and modern, tend to have to battle mould caused by condensation on exterior-adjacent walls. Just last week a young child died from such mould going untreated (you can easily Google the headlines) Although I love the principle of heat reclamation from wastewater, in reality it would need to be captured in a heat exchanger linked to the waste pipe system to prevent extra evaporation - and consequently require re-plumbing of the house (and be completely impossible for flats) to separate the warm waste water from the unheated foul waste, I think. Also, since few houses here have basements or cellars, I'm not sure where we're going to locate such heat exchangers. Nice idea though :)
I think some sewerage plants are actually already experimenting with doing it on a grander collective scale, but whether it will prove feasible is as yet unknown.
An inquisitive mind is a wonderful place! I respect and commend your research and tenacity. However, I differ on ONE of those percentages; which starts the Domino Effect, which creates chaos!
You say 90% of the heat in the water delivered, goes down the drain, right?
As an example, a gram of 90° water, leaving the showerhead, will be 81° when it goes down the drain? Not to insult your intelligence (100% Delivered @90° - 10% heat loss (9°) = 81° of heated water is going down the drain?? I don't think so
A single gram of 90°, delivered shower water will lose Temp the moment it leaves the nozzle; exponentially, I'm sure! The farther & longer it travels the geosphere of the shower; the heat will release till saturation; MUCH MORE than 10% !!! You're a "DETAILS" thinker, too, I see! It can get in my way sometimes it was fun reading your article; looking forward to being here!