University of Waterloo to cut Water Heating Costs by up to 30% in Townhouse Community Project

(Waterloo, Ontario 1.14.08) RenewABILITY Energy Inc, manufacturer of the Power-Pipe® Drain Water Heat Recovery (DWHR) system, Reid’s Heritage Homes and Union Gas announced they recently complete the installation of 250 Power-Pipe DWHR Systems at the University of Waterloo, Columbia Lake Village North Community (CLV), Ontario. Now completed, the Power-Pipe® DWHR Systems will reduce water heating in unit showers by 20% to 30%!

‘While you may or may not be familiar with Drain Water Heat Recovery (DWHR) or the Power-Pipe®, it’s simple, affordable, practical, effective, proven, and scalable turnkey heat recovery technology that dramatically reduces water heating costs,” noted Ron Salisbury, Manager- Home Performance at Reid’s Heritage Homes.

‘Reid’s Heritage Homes which partners with the University of Waterloo in maintaining the University residences has been installing DWHR systems in many Energy Star and LEED Certified residential communities and retrofit projects in London, Guelph and Port Elgin. DWHR simply pre-heats cold intake water with warm or hot drain water prior to entering a standard water heater or on-demand water system in residential and multi-residential applications – reducing water heating costs and energy usage significantly”.  ‘While that may not sound like a dramatic factor, Natural Resources Canada reports that water heating is the second largest energy use in Canadian single and multi-residential properties! So the 20% to 30% reduction in water heating which translates into a 6 to 9% reduction in total energy usage is actually quite sizable.  In short, we are convinced DWHR represents a new and very promising energy savings potential for Canada’ residential sector, added Ron Salisbury.

In relation to the climate, the pollution reduction numbers are even more staggering.  The typical Power-Pipe® DWHR unit will reduce GHG emissions by about 200kg/person/year when displacing Natural Gas water heating.  In a 4 person home, that amounts to a reduction of almost one ton of green house gases per year per Canadian household!  For the University of Waterloo units the impact will be even greater noted University of Waterloo graduate and RenewABILITY Energy Inc President and CEO Gerald Van Decker.

The University of Waterloo, Reid Heritage Homes, and RenewABILITY Energy are planning a ribbon cutting ceremony in mid to late January at the University Townhouse Community.

The technology was developed and is manufactured in Canada and can be viewed on YouTube at:

Consumer video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3F3k0zeglk

Installation video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jE0C7bsTv8

About Reid Heritage Homes

Renowned for its innovation and environmentally friendly building practices, Reid’s Heritage Homes has been building award-winning communities across Southwestern Ontario for over 30 years.  To learn more about their energy efficient designs, such as Canada’s first LEED-Platinum Home, visit www.ReidsHeritageHomes.com or call 1-877-88-REIDS.

About the University of Waterloo  

The University of Waterloo has long been recognized as the most innovative university in Canada. We are committed to advancing learning and knowledge through teaching, research, and scholarship in our faculties, colleges, and schools.  What sets the University apart from other schools is how they go about accomplishing their mission. From the beginning, Waterloo has been an outward-looking university, aware of and responsive to the needs of society.

The University has the largest post-secondary co-operative education program in the world, and their students graduate with the knowledge, skills, and practical experience required to solve today’s complex and pressing problems and to embrace future challenges.

But producing the leaders of tomorrow is just part of our mission. A research-intensive university, they’re committed to discovering new knowledge and finding ways to use that knowledge for the benefit of all.

The University of Waterloo is the national leader in the transfer of ideas and technology to the private sector. More Canadian high-tech and knowledge-based spin-off companies trace their roots to the University of Waterloo than to any other school. http://www.uwaterloo.ca/

About RenewABILITY Energy Inc.

Founded in 2000, RenewABILITY Energy Inc. developed and manufactures the Power-Pipe® Drain Water Heat Recovery system in Waterloo, Ontario.  The patented and patent pending Power-Pipe® systems are sold across Canada, the United States and Europe. For more details, please visit www.renewability.com or contact Walter Urban at wurban@sympatico.ca or 519-766-9295.