A heat recovery device, said to reduce shower water heating bills by up to 30%, improve energy efficiency and cut carbon footprints, is being installed in bathroom units across the UK.
Around 15-30% of a typical home energy bill is said to be spent on heating water; however, almost 90% of the energy used to heat shower water ends up “going down the drain”.
Zypho has produced a device that can be installed under a shower tray or bathtub which allows around 10°C of shower water which passes through the device to be recovered.
The recovered heat is then transferred to the cold-water mains before arriving at the shower tap mixer already preheated; meaning less hot water is required to reach the optimum shower temperature.
The technology was invented by José Meliço, the founder and CEO, when he was 14. Concerned to see so much energy going down the drain, he began testing ways to recapture and reuse lost energy.
José submitted Zypho to the EDP Richard Branson Innovation Award and reached the top three entries, capturing the attention of Portuguese utilities company EDP, who later invested in Zypho.
José commented: “To create the ideal shower temperature of 40°C, the tap has to mix a large amount of electric or gas-heated hot water at around 60°C, with cold water coming in at 10-20°C. But so much of that energy is wasted – it literally goes down the drain.
“The daily showers for a household of three people account for approximately 5,000 Kwh of energy consumption. Zypho could help save around 30% of that, which would be the equivalent of twelve 9 watt compact light bulbs running constantly for an entire year.
“As a completely passive technology, Zypho is one of the simplest and safest ways to save money and reduce energy consumption, recovering wasted heat energy with each and every shower. Neither your shower temperature nor your shower time has to change, and once installed, Zypho is not visible in your shower or bath.”
Zypho is also said to be suitable for buildings with high shower usage, such as gyms, hospitals, hotels and other businesses looking to cut carbon footprint and energy usage.
