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US 10,295,197 B2Granted
Hot water energy conservation
OwnerSpencer Kim Hawsinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The concepts relate to reducing energy loss associated with hot water systems. One example can monitor hot water use in a system. Upon completion of the hot water use, the example can recover some of the hot water from hot water lines into a water heater that heated the hot water. The method can also deliver the recovered hot water to the water heater in a manner that affects operation of a heating element of the water heater.
Claims10
A system, comprising:
- a water heater having a tank and a cold water inlet to the tank and a hot water outlet from the tank that are positioned relative to an upper region of the tank, a heating element positioned proximate to a lower region of the tank, a recovery pump positioned on the cold water inlet and fluidly coupled to a cold water dip tube extending from the cold water inlet proximate to the lower region of the tank, a circulation pump positioned on the hot water outlet and fluidly coupled to a hot water dip tube extending from the hot water outlet proximate to the lower region of the tank, and, a controller configured to sense hot water being drawn from the tank and to control the recovery pump and the circulation pump responsively after the hot water is drawn from the tank to recover at least some of the hot water and to deliver the recovered hot water to the lower region of the tank via the hot water dip tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.