Quote:
Originally Posted by rmay635703
I have been searching for the so called "Worlds Most Efficient Water Heater" I saw last year for a while, blast why don't I bookmark everything.
Anyway it only lost 1deg per week and it could be heated with any source you wanted be it solar, electric or gas.
Anyone remember that one?
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Here is something similar:
heat accumulator. It's an oversized water tank that can be warmed with any kind of (waste) heat that is available or cheapest at the moment, and is superinsulated to keep as much of that heat as possible from being lost (5cm of foil-backed mineral wool plus 30-40cm styrofoam). If sized right it can take care of a home's heating needs (water and space heating) for a few days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by t vago
Natural gas versions of these things are used almost exclusively in Europe and Japan.
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I have one! I have one! Or two, actually, one for each floor. On demand heaters were very common here, especially in apartments. I've seen water tanks in apartments in the US, but not here. Just not enough space when a 6-person family is living in a 45m2 flat. Recently electric units are becoming more popular in apartments since they are smaller and don't need fresh air and exhaust ductwork. In new houses water tanks are more popular than they were years ago, but nowhere as popular as in the US.
The setup we have, which is not new or hi-tech, is quite inefficient, since it takes a while for the hot water to get to the faucet, plus there is a minimum flow below which it shuts off.