Giles Gibson, a resident of London, has found an innovative way to heat his home while simultaneously reducing his energy expenses. By integrating a compact datacentre into his hot water system, he now enjoys hot water generated not by gas, but by a small server that produces heat as it processes data.
Attached directly to his hot water cylinder, this server converts its operational heat into a practical resource, eliminating the typical waste associated with traditional large-scale datacentres. Gibson expressed his excitement about the setup, stating, “It’s an obvious solution. Why wouldn’t you place a computer next to your water tank to obtain free heat?”
Since the installation of this cutting-edge system, Gibson estimates his monthly hot water expenses have dropped between £10 and £15. This totals to a significant annual saving, making the installation a financially wise choice, according to him.
Addressing Waste Heat
With an impending rise in domestic energy bills and increasing concerns over the environmental impact of conventional datacentres, solutions that harness waste heat are gaining traction. Gibson’s system is provided by heata, a Surrey-based company at the forefront of this initiative, offering innovative strategies for managing waste heat on a household level.
Heata specializes in sustainable cloud computing, enabling clients’ processing tasks to be handled by servers based in residential homes. The combined capacity of the units they offer is comparable to eight laptops.
Charlie Beharrell, the commercial director of heata, explained, “The home serves as an efficient location for our server due to its necessary power and fiber connections, along with a space for the generated heat.”
Heata’s system aims to supply about 80% of the hot water needed for a household. Beharrell noted that homeowners may still rely on gas boilers during peak water usage times but asserts that the installation reduces the burden on the primary heating system effectively.
Operational Mechanics
The technology is compatible with homes that have vented, unpressurised water cylinders, typically identifiable by blue insulation. A server container is affixed to the front of the cylinder after a hole is created in the insulation, utilizing thermal paste for effective heat conduction with no plumbing required, and installation comes at no cost.
The installation process is streamlined, taking a couple of hours, and the company covers the electricity costs associated with running the server. Homeowners only need to provide the necessary fiber broadband connection.
According to Beharrell, millions of homes utilize vented water cylinders, and the units can also function alongside heat pumps. However, the technology is not suitable for homes equipped with combination boilers, although a version compatible with unvented cylinders is on the horizon.
Currently, heata has deployed units in 100 households, with around 3,000 interested applicants awaiting installation. The company anticipates further deployments in the upcoming year.
Easy as Raspberry Pi?
In a separate initiative in Essex, households are testing a concept involving approximately 500 compact computers grouped together to form a mini datacentre, where the heat generated is converted into usable energy.
The systems, known as HeatHub units, created by the Welsh company thermify, also recycle energy from computing tasks, albeit through a different mechanism. The units heat mineral oil that surrounds the computers, and this heated oil is then utilized to warm the water running through radiators.
With 480 computers operational in these units, the project aims to introduce various sizes to cater to different homes. Thermify’s CEO, Travis Theune, mentioned that costs for homeowners could average around £90 per month, covering leasing and installation, with potential substantial savings on energy bills.
Editor’s Take
This innovative approach to integrating computing power with home heating systems could revolutionize both energy consumption and expense for homeowners. As energy prices rise and environmental concerns mount, solutions like these underscore the potential for technology to contribute positively toward sustainability. The shift to such systems could not only provide financial benefits for users but also stimulate interest from businesses seeking greener operational methods.
Source: www.theguardian.com
