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Recoup visits a Barratt homes site at Cere's Rise
Recoup has been in the UK market for over 12 years supplying developers with Waste water heat recovery systems for showers (WWHRS). Barratt homes were one of the first to see the potential energy and carbon savings this technology offered to their new build residential developments, therefore the supply agreement between the two has been ongoing for almost all of Recoup’s existence. Back in 2013 Recoup’s Pipe+ HE won “best new product” at the Barratt Supplier Excellence awards, now housing developers like Barratt can gain from the evolution of this vertical heat exchanger with the product in its latest guise as the Recoup Pipe HEX. Barratt have been one of the UK’s leading sustainable house builders for many years now, with a gold award within the “NextGeneration” benchmark, eight years running. As well as an innovation award for their Energy House 2.0 project at The University of Salford to which Recoup and WWHRS are included. In late January 2024 we were offered an opportunity to visit a Green and Energy Efficient local Barratt homes site at Cere’s Rise in Swaffham Norfolk, to see an installation at first fix stage.
On the way to Plot 106, a Rowan house type with four bedrooms, a bathroom, and an en-suite. The site manager ask’s “So then, what is the benefit of fitting these units?” I explain that this plot utilises the highest possible efficiency through one WWHRS unit, with an energy demand reduction of over 55%, this was Recoup’s Pipe Hex installed as System A. The waste from the shower tray above is connected at first floor joist level to the Pipe Hex exchanger, while a split from cold main feed has been fed into the inlet at the bottom of the unit. These two water streams the feed and waste, act in contra flow to offer a high efficiency heat transfer within the heat exchanger. This pre-heat feed is then sent to two separate locations. Firstly, back to the cold side of the thermostatic mixer shower, this will vastly change the ratio of hot to cold water used by the thermostatic mixer giving a large reduction in the amount of domestic hot water used per shower. The other branch of pre-heated water is sent to the cylinder in this case, meaning that this stored water is being heated from around 25 degrees upwards to approximately 60 degrees. Rather than a standard domestic cold water main temperature of between 10-12 degrees all the way up to 60 degrees, thus massively reducing the amount of energy required to produce the hot water used within showering.
On entering the plot, I was guided to a small storage area to the left of the main entrance in the hallway. Behind the exposed studwork in the void, I can see the Pipe HEX unit located close to the insulated soil vent pipe. Four separate pipework feeds connect into the unit, at the bottom just above ground level a 43mm waste pipe leaves the unit connecting into the SVP before exiting the dwelling. Just above that a 15mm cold water inlet enters the heat exchanger. Only two metres higher this feed exits the unit but at nearly two and a half times higher than the original temperature. The highest connection is the waste inlet through the turbo rotator, this clever addition to the Pipe HEX promotes and increases thin film heat exchange all the way through the unit by guiding the water in a cyclonic motion all the way through.
This setup has a compact design, and once the plasterboard is in place, there will be no visible indications of the WWHRS in the home. In fact, the end user may not even be aware of its presence. They won't see or hear this passive unit, and they won't need to make any changes to their showering habits. However, they will experience the significant benefit of a more than 55% reduction in energy demand. Installing this system is equally straightforward and can be completed in just about an hour or so. No new accreditations or specialized tools are required, only standard additional plumbing valves are needed to complete the installation.
WWHRS systems are highly suitable for new residential constructions. They can be easily integrated into the building process, whether it is during the initial design and M&E stage or at the later stage when the engineer is installing the product. With the upcoming Future Home standards in residential new build regulations by 2025, these types of installations are expected to become the standard practice. They are already widely adopted in Barratt Homes' new developments, as well as by other prominent developers in the UK. This clearly indicates a strong and ongoing partnership between Recoup, WWHRS, and Barratt Homes, ensuring a sustainable future.