So far IWS technology has been installed in multi-unit residential developments, wastewater treatment facilities, a public theatre and a university campus.

Heat From Sewage

Lynn Mueller | International Wastewater Systems

 

International Wastewater Systems recently completed several installations, which provide the buildings’ heating and cooling from either the municipal or the building’s sewage waste water.

 

Can you please tell me a bit about the CEO?

Lynn began his career as a refrigeration journeyman before transitoning into a 25-year career in the geothermal heat pump industry. He served as president of WaterFurnace Canada and WaterFurnace International and founded Pacific Geo-Exchange Inc. and Earth Source Energy Inc. Over his career, Lynn pioneered many innovative approaches to geothermal installaton.

Inspired by the idea that heat can be recycled from wastewater, in 2011 Lynn founded International Wastewater Systems and developed a patented sewage heat recovery technology to help recover the 350-billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy that goes down the drain every year in North America.

   

Can you please tell me about what your company does, what products you offer and how the technology works?

International Wastewater was formed 6 years ago to recover waste heat that is put down drains around the world. The US department of energy had released a study showing that 350 billion kilowatts of energy flows down the drains every year in the US. from household uses like showering, laundry, dishwashing and other household uses. The rest of the world also has similar water usage number so the opportunity is enormous. That means that 25 to 30 percent of energy used by buildings ends up being wasted down the drains and eventually ending up in rivers and oceans. IWS was convinced and has since proven that we have the technology to efficiently recover this wasted asset.  This represents a 35 billion dollar opportunity for IWS to recover and reuse that energy in the US alone. IWS has 2 technologies we use to recover the waste thermal energy, a Sharc System and the Piranha. IWS has develop the world's leading sewage heat recovery technology that can be used on a scale from a single building to an entire city. 

 

Have you received industry acceptance?

Yes, IWS has now completed SHARC installations across North America and launched our first system in the UK at Borders College in Scotland.  The Piranha product (launched Q1 2016) won the 2016 AHR Innovation Award for Green Building Product of the Year. The award (judged by a third party panel of ASHRAE members) further demonstrates the adoption of IWS technology within the green building sector in the United States and globally. IWS is now considered a world leader in the wastewater heat recovery industry. 

 

What type of performance efficiency can you expect? 

The system has demonstrated technological efficiencies of up to 600% and energy savings of 30-85%

 

What type of pay back periods can your clients expect? 

Pay back periods vary with each project but clients can usually expect anywhere from immediate to 10 years. Typically 3-5 years.

 

What are the typical types applications for the technology?

Commercial buildings, 50+ unit multi-unit residential developments,  industrial facilities, hospitals, prisons, district energy loops are all great examples of where we can work. 

 

Where is IWS technology already being used? 

So far IWS technology has been installed in multi-unit residential developments, wastewater treatment facilities, a public theatre and a university campus. 

http://www.sewageheatrecovery.com/projects-and-installations/

 

Please tell me about your company history and culture? 

IWS is a team of innovative professionals dedicated to building sustainable products that help our environment.  IWS values it’s employees and their families and encourages employees to challenge themselves and grow within the organization. IWS likes to hire employees for life and also contributes to the education of their employees children, asking only that they consider working at IWS in the future.

 

 

About Lynn Mueller
Lynn Mueller is the president of International Wastewater Systems, located in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has been a leading advocate of sustainable space conditioning energy systems for the last 25 years, and has pioneered many innovative energy approaches.
International Wastewater Systems was developed to help recover the 400-billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy that goes down the drain every year in North America.

 

The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of AltEnergyMag

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