Significant Energy Savings for Ottawa Residential High-Rise

Published on February 13, 2019

By installing a drain water heat recovery system, a residential high rise in Ottawa is expected to see energy savings of 50 percent by reusing wastewater for heat.

The building will be located at 70 Gloucester ave in Ottawa, and will have 227 housing units for rent within its 27 stories. It is also earmarked to have more than 200 units with rental rates 30 percent lower than the area’s median household income.

The new residential high rise has also been designed to operate without the use of natural gas, instead relying on a fully electric design.

Claridge Homes, the local developer, has decided to have a Piranha T10 drain water heat recovery system installed to help improve the building’s energy efficiency regarding its hot water system.

The Piranha T10 is manufactured by Sharc Energy Systems and works by recovering the heat from any hot water that would normally be dumped down the drain and into the sewer. This allows it to use wastewater as a heat source for any incoming cold water loads that the building will require in the future.

According to Sharc Energy Systems, the Piranha T10 is able to produce 6,000 gallons of hot water every day - making it the largest and most capable model they manufacture. It is also able to retain the heat from waste water with approximately 500 percent efficiency.

The new drain water heat recovery system is expected to be delivered and installed in building in the second quarter of 2019.

Increase Your Energy Savings and Save on Utility Bills

There are a number of ways that your home may be able to be improved towards higher levels of energy efficiency. By upgrading how energy efficient your home is, you may notice that it not only becomes cheaper to heat and cool, but that it also has: better air quality, an improved level of comfort, and even an increased value on the housing market. However, it can be difficult to know which methods of improvement are not only the most effective in your home, but also which methods are the most affordable.

For Ontario homeowners, our Registered Energy Advisors are able to conduct an Energy Assessment of your home, providing you with a look at how energy efficient your home is, and how it could be improved. The advisor who conducts your assessment will provide you with a list of home improvement suggestions for you to consider, and they will rank them in terms of their cost-effectiveness so that you may make an informed decision.

Quite often, the assessment will discover a number of affordable ways that a home could be made more energy efficient, such as sealing air leaks with caulk, or improving the level of insulation in the home’s attic. By having an Energy Assessment done in your home, you are arming yourself with all the information specific to your home that you need to affordably and effectively lower your utility payments and improve your home’s comfort.

Additionally, the assessment can help your home qualify for up to $5,000 of home renovation rebates that both Union Gas and Enbridge are currently offering their customers.