Drain Water Heat Recovery

The Manitoba Government has brought in some new changes to the building code, one of which is mandatory drain water heat recovery (DWHR) for all new residential construction as of April 2016.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Manitoba-is-getting-new-building-rules-to-ensure-homes-are-more-energy-efficient-303766961.html

http://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?item=34851

These DWHR units typically use a copper coil built over a typically sized copper drainpipe that would replace a section of your home’s ABS drainpipe. The copper coil is then connected to the home’s cold water line that either leads to the shower or the hot water tank (HWT). As heated water is poured down the drain the heat is transferred to the supply line and either preheats the cold water entering the shower fixture or the cold water entering the HWT. Some units boast a recovery efficiency of up to 46% at 9.5Lpm, though that also equates to a 1.8psi pressure drop on your cold water supply line. Manitoba Hydro currently has a program offered to supply a free DWHR unit for your new residential construction project if you meet the program criteria and your project is complete and inspected before the code change comes into effect. For more information or to sign up for this offer contact Meaghan Mueller at meaghan@ecoinnovation.ca

Added: Thu November 26th 2015