Below you will find the most frequently asked questions and answers related to Ecowec hybrid exchangers. We also respond to questions through our company’s sales and technical support.
The Ecowec hybrid exchanger is a maintenance-free tube heat exchanger for dirty wastewater. Through it, heat can be recovered from waste water, toilet water, washing water, exhaust air, condensate heat, vapors, lake and sea water, and the sun.
Wastewater contains significant energy. By recycling it, you can greatly reduce the purchase of new energy and decrease a property’s environmental emissions.
In new apartment buildings and swimming halls, over 50% of heating costs can go down the drain if there’s no wastewater heat recovery system. In older buildings, this figure is around 20-30%.
Water heating requires a lot of energy. Heating one cubic meter of water from 8°C to 58°C needs 58 kWh. For example, one warm shower consumes as much energzy as 400 incandescent bulbs or 4,000 LED bulbs. > Water heating requires a lot of energy. Heating one cubic meter of water from 8°C to 58°C needs 58 kWh. For example, one warm shower consumes as much energy as 400 incandescent bulbs or 4,000 LED bulbs.
Up to 90% of the energy from wastewater can be recovered in residential buildings, hotels, and swimming pools.
In a 100-unit building, savings can be around €20,000 annually. Industrial processes can save hundreds of thousands of euros per year.
The mixed wastewater temperature (combining wash and toilet waters) is around 25°C, including warm washing water (30-60°C) and toilet water (10-20°C). In swimming halls, it’s about 30-35°C, and in industrial processes, it ranges between 10-100°C.
Wastewater can be cooled to about 5-10°C before exiting the property, recovering almost all its heat.
Yes. , Ecowec hybrid exchangers have been installed in various older buildings, but it isn’t always feasible or profitable.
They’re made in Finland by several metal companies. Our company also produces them, increasing production as sales and projects grow.
The Ecowec hybrid exchanger is best suited for cold climates, where buildings need significant heating and there’s limited solar energy during winter. However, it’s also suitable for warmer climates, as it can store cold energy for building cooling.
They’ve been produced and sold in Finland since 2014. The Ecowec hybrid exchanger is a known market leader in maintenance-free wastewater exchangers. Ecowec-hybridivaihdin on tunnettu markkinajohtaja huoltovapaissa jätevesivaihtimissa.
In Finland, major municipal and private property owners, developers, construction companies, and housing associations use them in various projects.
They’ve been installed in dozens of locations like apartment buildings, hotels, spas, swimming halls, hospitals, and industries like dairies, paper mills, and breweries. With nearly 10 years of experience, the Ecowec hybrid exchanger is a profitable and maintenance-free system.
It allows for the recovery of heat from wastewater and recirculates it for building and domestic water heating.
The Ecowec hybrid exchanger is suitable for apartment buildings, hotels, hospitals, spas, swimming pools, and industry.
Ecowec hybrid exchangers are designed for heat recovery from wastewater in apartment buildings, hotels, hospitals, and swimming pools, as well as recycling process fluids and steam condensation in industry.
Ecowec hybrid exchangers are available for various applications:
Yes, the power and yield of the Ecowec hybrid converter can be measured e.g. With the Ecowec remote monitoring system, which can be ordered for the delivery of the Ecowec hybrid inverter. The remote monitoring system provides information on the operation of the Ecowec hybrid exchanger and heat pump in real time. With this information, the system can also be adjusted and optimized.
In a 100-apartment property, savings of about €20,000/year can be achieved with Ecowec hybrid exchangers. In industry, Ecowec hybrid exchangers can save hundreds of thousands of euros annually.
The Ecowec hybrid exchanger can simultaneously recover heat from various wastewaters and multiple heat sources, while the traditional heat exchanger is suitable for only one wastewater or heat source.
No, but we always recommend connecting the Ecowec hybrid exchanger to a heat pump because it is 4-5 times more efficient than passive connection without a heat pump. Heat recovery from hot steam does not necessarily require a heat pump.
No maintenance is needed. The starting point of the device design has been maintenance-free, so Ecowec hybrid exchangers do not need to be cleaned and they have no parts that require maintenance.
It doesn’t use electricity. Electricity consumption is due to the possible wastewater pumping station and the operation of the heat pump.
The design goal has been maintenance-free, so Ecowec hybrid exchangers do not need cleaning and have no parts requiring maintenance.
Wastewater can thus contain solids, food waste, hair, paper, or toilet water.
In the industry, untreated wastewater at wastewater treatment plants, mash water in breweries, industrial laundry washing water, and almost all process fluids are suitable for direct guidance to Ecowec hybrid exchangers without filtration or cleaning.
The payback time for Ecowec hybrid exchangers in residential use is 5-10 years, in hotels, hospitals, and swimming pools 2-5 years, and in industry 0.1-2 years. The payback period depends a lot on the price of wastewater and purchased energy at the site.
With the Ecowec hybrid exchanger, the incoming and outgoing wastewater heat can be measured. Additionally, the incoming and outgoing heat pump collector fluid temperature and the power and yield of energy collected from wastewater can be measured.
Yes, the heat power obtained from wastewater can be adjusted, for example, with heat pump settings.
The smallest Ecowec hybrid exchanger is designed for about 10-30 apartment properties, and the largest Ecowec hybrid exchangers for about 40-60 apartment properties. Multiple Ecowecs can be connected to the same system if the property has more apartments and residents.
The smallest Ecowec hybrid exchangers are suitable for detached houses, but their payback time becomes very long because the amounts of wastewater are small. For this reason, they are not specifically recommended for detached houses.
The lifespan of Ecowec hybrid exchangers is up to 100 years in regular residential and hotel properties. In swimming pools and industry, wastewaters and steam may contain more corrosive and aggressive liquids, so Ecowec hybrid exchangers are made from stronger and corrosion-free materials, ensuring a device lifespan of up to 50 years.
It enhances the efficiency and power of heating and heat recovery ventilation systems. At the same time, it reduces energy consumption of heating systems and saves on property energy costs.
At the same time, it reduces energy consumption of heating systems and saves on property energy costs.
The Ecowec hybrid exchanger increases the efficiency, output, and performance of the exhaust air heat recovery system, leading to , for instance, a greater reduction in district heating consumption than with just the exhaust air heat recovery system.
With the Ecowec hybrid exchanger, the heat from industrial processes , steams, and wastewater can be transferred back to the beginning of the process or to building heating, resulting in significant savings on new purchased energy.
Prices for Ecowec hybrid exchangers can be found on the “PRODUCTS” page, link provided.Tuotteet-sivulta.
The Ecowec hybrid exchanger can be acquired through direct purchase, installment payments, or leasing agreements. We also offer Ecowec hybrid exchangers to contracting firms and businesses providing energy solutions. Installment and leasing options are typically directed towards end-users, usually property owners.
What are the total costs of the Ecowec system? In addition to the Ecowec hybrid exchanger, one needs to acquire HVAC designs, installation work, and commissioning. Purchase costs are reduced if the property already has or will have a geothermal heat pump or exhaust air heat pump during construction or renovation. Otherwise, the heat pump and storage tanks need to be acquired separately in addition to the Ecowec hybrid exchanger.
The Ecowec hybrid exchanger is a maintenance-free heat exchanger and does not consume electricity itself.
There is no defined maintenance schedule for the Ecowec hybrid exchangers because they are designed to be maintenance-free. For this reason, they don’t have specific maintenance costs.
It does not consume electricity. The electricity consumption arises from the potential operation of the wastewater pumping station and the heat pump.
The wastewater pumping station consumes approximately 1-2% of electricity compared to the heat energy produced by the Ecowec hybrid exchanger.
The operational costs of the Ecowec system consist of the electricity consumption of the heat pump and possible wastewater pumping station, as well as the maintenance visits for these devices.
There are 3 different sizes of Ecowec hybrid exchangers, allowing for a selection based on space reservations and access routes. The space should be at least semi-warm to prevent the wastewater inside the Ecowec hybrid exchanger from freezing during winter. The floor should support about 1500 kg point load over a square meter area.
The Ecowec hybrid exchanger is installed near the main sewer line exiting the property, ensuring as much wastewater as possible is directed for heat recovery. Typically, the Ecowec hybrid exchanger is placed in the basement, heat distribution room, or crawl space close to where the main sewer line runs. Therefore, the Ecowec can be located far from the heat pump that gathers the wastewater heat, even from a significant distance.
The number of Ecowec hybrid exchangers is determined based on the property size and wastewater volume. Space availability and the desired system efficiency also affect the quantity.
Heat pump sizing considers the average heat output obtained from Ecowec hybrid exchangers, which should match the maximum cooling capacity of the heat pump or the added cooling capacity when combined with systems like geothermal or exhaust air heat recovery.
A wastewater pumping station must be installed, either underneath the house or outside, from which wastewater can be pumped to the Ecowec hybrid exchanger under pressure. After heat recovery, the cooled wastewater is directed past the wastewater pumping station and back into the main sewer line.
Typically, HVAC specialized design firms or companies offering heat pump systems handle the design. We can also offer our expertise or network if you don’t have suitable partners in mind.
Local plumbing companies experienced in installing geothermal or exhaust air heat pumps can install Ecowec. We can also offer our expertise or network if you don’t have suitable partners in mind.
Usually, the installation or contracting firm responsible for the setup handles commissioning. However, we also offer commissioning services for heat pumps.
While the Ecowec hybrid exchanger doesn’t require maintenance by itself, we offer maintenance contracts for systems we deliver, ensuring they operate correctly.
We offer optimization services for systems we provide, ensuring maximum energy-saving benefits.
Made from stainless steel, the Ecowec hybrid exchanger has a lifespan of up to 100 years. If damaged during transport or installation, Ecowec hybrid exchangers can be repaired by welding.
The Ecowec hybrid exchanger can be disposed of by sending it for metal recycling, which will pay based on the stainless steel value. The Ecowec hybrid exchanger can then be melted down and recycled for reuse.