Climate change is causing irreversible damage to our environment, with 1.2 trillion tons of polar ice melting yearly, causing over 200 million people to lose their homes by 2050. We need to capture energy from exhausted waste heat and direct it to purposes that would otherwise require energy from the grid. By harnessing Canada’s 8.3 billion kilowatt-hours of annual furnace waste heat, we could power New York City for two months! As stewards of the planet, it is our responsibility to act now and reduce our production of harmful CO2. Our solution will increase the public’s awareness of their carbon footprint to slow climate change. This will ensure we sustain the planet that sustains us.
We have a working prototype and a 3D CAD drawing of the Z-Pipe.
We refined our Z-Pipe with four prototypes to ensure we achieved the maximum temperature
differential. We went from an initial prototype with 1 TEG to our final prototype with 9. We
added a voltage converter to boost our 3.5-volt output to 5.0 volts and a USB cable allowing
the Z-Pipe to charge a mobile phone. The prototype allowed us to validate its performance under
realistic conditions. To help others understand, we posted a video of our final prototype to our
website and shared it with 88 survey respondents.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, using the Z-Pipe to power a 200-unit apartment building’s domestic hot water recirculating pump would result in an annual carbon footprint reduction of 1.6 tons, equivalent to the amount of carbon sequestered by 1.8 acres of U.S. forests in a year. In such a commercial apartment building application, emission of 32.8 tons of carbon dioxide will be avoided over the Z-Pipe’s 20-year lifetime.
We surveyed 88 adults in order to gauge the demand for the Z-Pipe. We received many positive comments from our survey, and a few inquiries, such as: Is the Z-Pipe suitable for other purposes (e.g., dryer exhaust vents)? What effect does extreme weather have on the Z-Pipe?
We used Tinkercad CAD software to create a 3D model of our prototype. This representation helps people to better understand our invention by viewing the Z-Pipe from different angles, providing a clearer demonstration of its design.
We performed a global patent search to investigate existing solutions. Our Z-Pipe is different because the electricity generated is used to charge mobile devices or batteries, unlike another TEG innovation which uses electricity generated to power a furnace during a blackout. The Z-Pipe is superior to existing waste heat captors because it is easy to install, long-lasting, and inexpensive.
Ctrl-Z estimated the cost to produce the Z-Pipe, market demand volume and selling price per unit in developing base case financial projections for the Z-Pipe which provide strong indication that Z-Pipe can be a viable and profitable business.
Initially, we are planning to sell the Z-Pipe to Canadian heating contractors for $149.99, who will, in turn, sell them to homeowners. When the heating contractors meet with their customers to install a new furnace, they can sell the Z-Pipe as a part of the homeowners’ heating solution. In addition, offering a sales commission to the heating contractors should motivate them to sell our Z-Pipe to their customers. Since the Z-Pipe contains no moving parts, it will be maintenance-free. In the unlikely situation that the Z-Pipe fails, the heating contractor can either repair it or return it to us for replacement. As the heating contractors are keen to sell ancillary products to homeowners and are licensed for heating installation, they will be well-positioned to also sell Z-Pipes. The heating contractors can install it on the furnace exhaust since they know how home heating systems work. We would not work with furnace manufacturers directly because, while the Z-Pipe uses furnace waste heat to generate electricity, it is not a direct component of the furnace.
Based on our financial projections for the residential application of the Z-Pipe, we have determined that it can be a viable business, with an estimated value of $11.5 million. We conservatively estimate that the Z-Pipe will be profitable in year 1, and by year 7, $14.5 million of cumulative net income will have been generated on revenues of $36.7 million. Our comprehensive financial projections include material costs, shipping costs, salaries, rental costs, insurance, taxes, advertising, and sales commissions. Our projections have been discussed with a Boston Consulting Group Climate Tech Business Strategy Consultant, Mr. Youssef Aroub, who said that the market for the Z-Pipe is huge.
Not only can our solution be applied in residential settings, but it also has commercial real estate applications. We met with the Energy & Sustainability Manager of a major publicly traded Canadian real estate investment trust to discuss the commercial applications for the Z-Pipe. He proposed applying the Z-Pipe principles to the domestic hot water recirculating pump at one of his 200-unit apartment complexes.
Using the information provided by the Manager, we calculated that the reduction in energy consumption from use of the Z-Pipe would result in $294 of electricity savings per year. With the upfront cost of $2,400 for the commercial version of the Z-Pipe, it will have paid for itself after eight years of use. Over the remaining 12 years of its approximate 20-year lifetime, the owners will save $3,500 cumulatively.
