Waste Water Heat Recovery - Installer Guide

What is Waste Water Heat Recovery

Waste water heat recovery, or drain water heat recovery, works by gathering heat from waste water generated whenever a homeowner uses their shower.

Instead of the heat going to waste as it normally does, a waste water heat recovery system repurposes the heat to warm the incoming mains water.

How does Waste Water Heat Recovery work?

Waste water recovery systems generate heat by passing the waste water through a heat exchanger, which can preemptively warm the cold mains water feed. This can be sent to the cold feed for a thermostatic shower, and/or a homes’ hot water source, such as a combi boiler or water cylinder.

This results in less energy being required to heat up customers’ water, saving them money on energy bills and reducing CO2 emissions.

Where can Waste Water Heat Recovery systems be fitted?

Waste water heat recovery systems can be fitted to most showers, and showers over baths.

They are a simple and easy-to-install piece of add-on technology when carrying out bathroom refurbishments and renovations, as there would be minimal additional disruption.

What are the benefits of installing a Waste Water Heat Recovery system?

Waste water heat recovery systems are being installed increasingly often in both residential and commercial environments. This is because they help achieve carbon commitments by reducing a building’s CO2 output.

Most waste water heat recovery systems are recognised by BRE in SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure), and WWHRs are now a mainstream technology recognised by the EU Directives as a renewable energy system.

What qualifications are required to fit a Waste Water Heat Recovery system?

Various courses are available to provide installers with all the information required to set up and install waste water heat recovery systems.

That being said, WWHR systems are fairly simple to install and no additional qualifications are required. Manufacturers typically supply online training courses, and the EE team can offer technical assistance where needed.

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