I have used my own home to demonstrate that ‘small is beautiful’ and that we can all in our own homes ‘make a difference’.
I invented the ShowerPowerBooster which has sold all over the world in thousands. The Shower Power Booster is an amazing pump which uses 15 watts of the power to create the same good shower as a 300 watt pump. It won Best Water Innovation from Imperial Colledge London and we have sold and continue to sell thousands of pumps though distributers and my own web site showerpowerbooster.co.uk.
In my own home I use a SP22S to boost my gravity hot and cold, a SP2B to boost from my cold water tank in the loft, and a SP21S in my garage to lift rainwater from 4.5 tonnes of storage outside to 225 litres of storage in the loft.
My new Radiator Flow Booster (version V3), is used to move hot water from my wood burner throughout our home. A second Radiator Flow Booster (version V2) allows us to heat our conservatory.
All my innovations are retrofit and you can do the same yourself – a straightforward DIY job, by purchasing either my SP2B, SP21S, or my Radiator Flow Booster (V2 or V3).
To read more about my retrofit rainwater harvesting innovations please click on this link.
Wood Burner For Hot Water and Central Heating
In October 2020 I released a range of Radiator Flow Boosters with the temperature and pressure upgrades needed for the extremely high unregulated temperatures you may get from a wood burner. The linking of a wood burner to a traditional gas boiler heating system is now very easy.
My 11KW freestanding wood burner was fitted with a back boiler (a 15 minute job). It is hydraulically linked to a radiator in the entrance hall.
The wood burner with the central heating on sends hot water from the wood burner to the rest of the house. With the central heating off, the wood burner just heats the room it is in and the radiator in the entrance hall.
If there were a power cut the system is vented and has a pressure relief (belt and braces)
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Solar Thermal
This technology was proven but then put on hold. I invented a solar thermal system, which was capable of giving me 100% hot water from early April to late October. The system was much more efficient compared with currently available systems. It included two 225 litre heat stores which store enough hot water for a bath 3 days after the last rays of sunshine. I even heated a central heating radiator to 65 Degrees Centigrade one Boxing Day (my wife objected to the pipework which rather spoilt the decorative qualities of the underside of our stairs – so it’s gone).
In winter the power of the sun can be used for central heating (it is used in Cyprus for central heating). In the UK in the winter the amount of hot water you can generate is much reduced but the 10 M2 of hot water collectors on the roof sized for the spring, summer, and autumn will significantly contribute to the pre-heating of hot water for showers and baths.
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Instant Hot Water Without Wasting Cold Water
This technology was proven but also put on hold. This was the original use for the ShowerPowerBooster and instant hot water at taps is easy to achieve. It was improved after working at March Foods near Peterborough, so look at both videos.
The Greenest Home In Norfolk
Being concerned for the environment does not have mean that you live in a tent in a forest and travel by roller skates.
To create a sustainable future we can adopt solutions such as harvesting rainwater, solar thermal heating, wood burners integrated into central heating systems and much more.
I am an inventor and I am committed to developing low cost practical solutions in my own home.
You are welcome to get involved – I look forward to hearing from you.
Alan Wright
BSc(Hons)CEng.MICE
Inventor of the ShowerPowerBooster