Steorn's HephaHeat Low Frequency Induction Heating

[zenmaster]

Can you summarize? That's difficult to listen to with the background noise.

Steorn is using their "Orbo" solid-state technology to heat water more efficiently than is currently done with the conventional resistive heating elements. Orbo uses low-frequency electromagnetic induction. Sean claims an 80% reduction in power for same amount of water heated. And there is no power supply (transformer or switch) as it just uses the A/C voltage and frequency as-is. The tank apparently can also be much smaller. They say tech should reach market within 3 years (but will likely take longer).
http://www.steorn.com/heating/why-hephaheat/

[Patrick]

Truly good stuff.

[native]

Interesting. That will take a good chunk out of home energy usage..pretty significant.

[Goldenratio]

Looks like an 80% reduction in unit volume, not energy consumption.

An 80% reduction in the amount of electricity needed to produce heat would essentially mean free energy for everyone

[zenmaster]

Looks like an 80% reduction in unit volume, not energy consumption.

Sterling just interviewed him and reported "One of the products will be a culinary electric hot water heater that will cost about the same as the heater it is replacing, but it will be about one third the size and consume one fifth the electricity." And again, "One HephaHeat product will cost about as much as the electric water heater it's replacing, but will consume 1/5 as much electricity"

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We need the tech to be in the market for it to become credible. You can argue with it all you want in forums on the internet, but when you turn your tap on, and you're spending one fifth of the energy, then argue with your tap.

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An 80% reduction in the amount of electricity needed to produce heat would essentially mean free energy for everyone

I would agree because a conventional heating element is already close to being 100% efficient.

[Goldenratio]

I work in whats essentially a power plant. If one could impart the same amount of BTUs to water at 1/5 the cost of energy, power plants would be able to generate their own power, and generate surplus energy in droves. Think perpetual motion machine. Think power generated at the neighborhood level (Home level production would be troublesome due to the need to maintain occasional chemistry checks).

If the market they are going for is the home user, they are looking to take your money. If it really was what they are trying to make it sound like the whole world would change. Think deserts turned green, think moon bases in five years, think within a generation outright scifi. James Watt and his steam engine wouldnt change the world as much as this would. And the steam engine changed the rules of everything, I do mean everything.