Lake Louise Inn is the first hotel property in the world to install a waste water heat recovery system and it will be used to collect hot water from the hotel’s laundry machines. The heat energy will be recovered and used to heat cold water for more laundry loads, cutting the Inn’s energy requirements. Lake Louise Inn photo.
Waste water recovery system cuts water, energy use and GHG emissions
Lake Louise Inn is the first hotel in the world to install a waste water recovery system from Sharc International Systems. The innovative process will help the hotel cut down on its water and energy needs as well as reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
According to Sharc International, the company’s Piranha T10 system will employ a self-contained heat pump that uses a direct expansion heat exchanger to extract thermal energy.
At the Lake Louise Inn, the system will collect hot water from the hotel’s laundry machines that would have been sent down the drain. The heat energy from the water will be recovered and the water will then act as a source for the heat pump which will then be used to heat incoming cold water for other loads of laundry.
Using the waste water, which is inexhaustible energy source with a high thermal potential, will drastically cut the Inn’s energy needs.
Gordon Johnson, Vice President Operations at hotel management company Atlific Hotels, said “the serious reduction in water and energy use and greenhouse gas emissions will be of benefit to everyone who appreciates the importance of preserving Lake Louise’s natural resources, and certainly makes sense from a business perspective.” He added “It’s a win-win for all.”
The Piranha system is expected to cut CO2 emissions by over 80 tonnes each year, which is the equivalent to 17 cars off the road. It will also cut the hotel’s laundry energy use by 85 per cent and the savings from each 100 loads of laundry can provide energy for an additional eight days.
“This system represents an impressive intersection of innovation, conservation and cost savings and makes good sense,”said Nuwan Eparatchy, General Manager of the Lake Louise Inn. “I can’t think of a better place than in Banff National Park to implement this forward thinking, eco-friendly technology” .
The system will produce on average about 17,000 litres of hot water on a daily basis. The Piranha runs on electricity, and it will offset approximately 57,000 litres of propane annually, and significantly reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint.
“When we first discussed this technology with Atlific Hotels, they knew instinctively that it would be a game-changer,” said Lynn Mueller, CEO, SHARC Energy Systems. “The management team at Lake Louise Inn embraced the idea and is seeing immediate benefit. They are pioneers in reclaiming hotel laundry waste water, and we hope many other hotels will follow suit.”
Sharc International says this technology has been used in a number of domestic environmental initiatives, but the Lake Louise Inn is the first hotel to use its waste water heat recovery system.
Be the first to comment