Select your Language Preference

Efficiently Delivering Hot Water: Achieve Decarbonization/Electrification, Submetering, and Sustainability Goals

Tagged with

Efficiently delivering hot water has become a pressing issue in today’s world where the focus is on reducing waste and carbon footprints while saving energy and water. Many strong and interrelated trends have emerged including Sustainability, Decarbonization, and Submetering. The goal of all of these trends is to be better stewards of our planet’s ecology and finite resources while safely minimizing waste and reducing costs. nVent RAYCHEM HWAT heat traced single pipe solutions are an innovative approach to hot water temperature maintenance that can help achieve all of these goals.

Decarbonization and Electrification

Decarbonization refers to moving away from energy systems that produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions. Electrification is the movement towards using electricity from cleaner and renewable resources. Compared to traditional recirculation systems that often utilize fossil fuel-burning boilers to heat and reheat water, HWAT solutions are powered by common 120V – 277V electricity, which is becoming increasingly generated by renewable sources.

Submetering

Submetering of both water and energy is becoming increasingly required by many states and municipalities.  The goal of submetering is to accurately and efficiently record consumption on a per unit basis and then bill each unit for their exact usage.  Fair billing by usage encourages conservation. HWAT heat-traced single-pipe solutions simplify water submetering since there are no return lines which must also be accounted for.

Sustainability

Sustainability has many different but somewhat similar definitions. One common definition is that a product lasts a long time and doesn’t need to be replaced. Another is that once in service, a product consumes minimal resources while it operates. HWAT heat trace cables meet both of these definitions as its 40-year plus service life exceeds the useful life of most piping and recirculation systems and its electrical energy efficiency minimizes energy consumption during its life.

Energy and Water Conservation

Energy Conservation is often defined by kWh consumption. HWAT systems are proven to save energy (kWh’s) compared to traditional recirculation systems. HWAT’s eligibility for LEEDS points for Innovation in Design and energy conservation is a validation of its potential to save energy. Additionally, HWAT control systems can be programmed off during known days or periods of non-use to further minimize energy consumption. Water Conservation can take many forms. One measure of water conservation is how much tepid water goes down the drain while waiting for hot water to arrive.  HWAT systems can be installed much closer to points of use which minimizes wasted water and improves user satisfaction.

Water Quality

Water Quality also has many definitions and meanings. One very important definition is how well is Legionella controlled. Per ASHRAE 188 Guideline 12, there are many Legionella control tools and technology that can be used in a responsible Legionella control program. The use of Approved Electric Heat Trace-Systems, such as HWAT, is one such tool and are specifically Approved as a Legionella control technology.

 

Efficiently delivering hot water has become a crucial aspect of conserving resources and reducing costs. nVent RAYCHEM HWAT heat traced single pipe solutions provide an innovative approach to hot water temperature maintenance that can help achieve goals such as decarbonization, submetering, sustainability, and energy/water savings. These solutions are a reliable, long-lasting, and cost-effective option for a wide range of applications such as multi-unit residential buildings, schools, offices and more .

 

Popular Tags