Report on the estimated savings if hot water from a

solar water heater is used for cooking instead of

cold water from the tap.

Submitted by –

Auster Macarenhnas, U110014

Chirag Gandhi, U110017

K Pallavi Dora, U110025

Rahul Sahu, U110038

Shuvendu Panda, U110053

Shubham Shrivastava, U110052

INDEX
TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE NO.

1. Introduction 3

2. Methodology
2.1 Estimation of volume of water used per day 4
2.2 Technology Used 6
2.3 Average temperature of water from solar water heater 8
2.4 Saving Calculation 10

3. Energy and LPG requirement 11

4. Costing 12

5. Conclusion 13

6. Bibliography 14

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Introduction:
With the advent of modern technology we have created more problems than we have
solved. We have created more pollution, depleted the ozone layers and given rise to a
new phenomenon called global warming.

The next generation of technology that is coming in is trying to solve the problems
created by old methods and regressive technologies. So we are entering an era where
greener technology is going to be the mainstay of any business. The best thing about
these greener and cleaner technologies is they need not be too costly. One needn’t
have to give a fortune to harness these facilities.

In our study we have tried to estimate how much cost effective a simple flat panel
solar heater can be. A solar water heater harnesses the natural energy from the sun and
uses that to heat up water. That water is then can be channelled to the kitchen or in
case of industry to some other establishments. There can be a substantial energy save
here as the variable cost of heating water to that temperature is negated. It’s a simple
yet easily implementable plan.

Through our study we have tried to assess how much benefit a large scale kitchen can
get from this kind of technology.

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Methodology

 Estimation of volume of water used per day

We had to calculate the energy that could be saved in our hostel mess by using hot
water from solar water heater. For this we needed an accurate estimate of the amount
of water that needed boiling and amount of cooking gas used for this purpose. At the
outset we divided the total water consumed in the mess into two parts; the amount of
water that needs boiling and the part that doesn’t. In any kind of kitchen, a lot of water
is used for washing and other miscellaneous purposes which don’t involve heating. In
our estimation we were careful not to take that amount into account.

To get an estimate of the amount of water that needs boiling in a day we decided to
take into account every food item which needs boiled water. Food is cooked four
times in our mess excepting the night mess. We took an average day as our sample
and noted down what food items were prepared throughout the day. Then we
consulted the mess manager regarding the water used in the preparation stage. During
these cooking processes some vegetables need boiling and during the preparation of
curry itself it needs additional water. For example a Aloo Sabzi needs boiling the Aloo
first and then again additional water is used for the preparation of the curry.

We took into account both these factors and segregated the food items on the above
mentioned basis. On one hand we have Rice,Dal and Non-Veg dishes which doesn’t
need additional boiling ,on the other hand we have curries where an additional boiling
of vegetables is required. Basing upon this segregation and we took inputs from mess
manager. In some cases we got a range of values which were later normalized by
taking average. We took a rough estimate of the water usage in the night mess and
other miscellaneous purposes and adding all this values we arrived at a final value.

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 Approximate Volume of water used at the GR 1 mess in one day
Volume Purpose
Breakfast

Aloo Sabzi 30 litres Boiling

15 - 20 litres Preparation

Tea 2 Preparation

Lunch
Rice 50 litres Preparation

Dal 30 litres Preparation

Sabzi 1 25 litres Preparation

Aloo Sabzi 30 litres Boiling

15 - 20 litres Preparation

Non Veg Sabzi 15 - 20 litres Preparation

Snacks
Aloo 20 litres Boiling

Tea 7.5 litres Preparation

Dinner
Rice 50 litres Preparation

Dal 30 litres Preparation

Sabzi 1 25 litres Preparation

Aloo Sabzi 30 litres Boiling

10 - 15 litres Preparation

Non Veg Sabzi 15 - 20 litres Preparation

Night Mess
Maggi 15 litres Preparation

Sundry 5 litres Preparation

Total 437 litres

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 Technology Used
We are assuming the usage of a Flat Plate Collector based Solar Water Heater
considering the cost consideration and the temperature application requirement.

Application Technology
Low temperature application from 40ºCup to 80ºC FPC / ETC
Source: User’s Handbook on Solar Water Heaters

Flat Plate Collector based Solar Water Heater

The solar radiation is absorbed by Flat Plate Collectors which consist of an insulated
outer metallic box covered on the top with glass sheet. Inside there are blackened
metallic absorber (selectively coated) sheets with built in channels or riser tubes to
carry water. The absorber absorbs the solar radiation and transfers the heat to the
flowing water. There are 60 BIS approved manufacturers of Solar Flat Plate
Collectors.

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 Average Temperature of water from the solar water heater
As per the tables pasted below water at a temperature of 60 – 80 degrees Celsius can
be expected as output from the Flat Plate Collector based Solar Heater depending on
the weather conditions and the time of the day.

Source: User’s Handbook on Solar Water Heaters

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Source: User’s Handbook on Solar Water Heaters

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 Savings Calculation
As per the average temperature of water obtained from the User’s Handbook on Solar
Water Heaters depending on the weather conditions we are assuming the following:

- Water is obtained at 80 degrees Celsius for preparation of lunch, snacks and

dinner*
- Water is obtained at 60 degrees Celsius for preparation of breakfast and food
at night.

*Since the preparation of dinner starts in the evening the temperature of the water can
be assumed to be high as the water in the tank will take a while to cool down.

As per the assumptions mentioned above:

- 367 litres of water used for boiling will be received at 80 degrees Celsius
- 70 litres of water used for boiling will be received at 60 degrees Celsius

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Energy & LPG Requirement

 Amount of energy required to heat water from room temperature (assumed at 25

degrees Celsius) to 60degrees Celsius and 80 degrees Celsius respectively.

= 367 * (80-25) + 70 * (60-25) K Cal

= 22, 635 K Cal

 The efficiency of an LPG stove is 40%. Hence, in order to compensate for 40%
efficiency the amount of energy required

= 22, 635 / 0.4

= 56, 587.5 K Cal

 Calorific Value of LPG = 46.1 MJ/Kg

Converting MJ into K Cal

= 46.1* 238.85 (Assuming 1 MJ = 238.85 K Cal)
= 11010.99 K Cal

 Dividing the energy requirement by the calorific value of LPG in order to find the
amount of LPG used

= 56587.5 / 11010.99

= 5.14 Kgs

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Costing

 Liquefied Petroleum Gas Pricing

The gas pricing has been arrived at on the basis of information received from the mess
regarding the same from the mess manager.

LPG pricing
Volume of cylinder No used per day
15l 2.5
19l 2
   
Total quantity of gas used per day 75.5

   
Price Rs
15l 600
19l 1045
   
Total Cost of gas per day 3590

 Cost of gas per litre = Rs 3590 / 75.5

= Rs 47.55

 Total saving of LPG per day (in kgs) = 5.14

 Total savings per day = Rs 47.55 * 5.14

= Rs 244.41

 Therefore, total saving in a year = Rs 244.41*365

= Rs 89208.55

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Conclusion

As per our study, there can be savings of almost Rs 90, 000 per year if heated water
from a Flat Plate Collector based Solar Heater is used instead of water from a tap
(room temperature). This works out to almost 9% of the total cost incurred in the
kitchen.

Thus a huge amount of cost can be saved with the usage of this technology. We
cannot comment on the setup cost of the solar water heater or the time in which the
same will break even since that did not form a part of our study. However, looking at
the amount of money estimated to be saved the time period of the fixed cost breaking
even should not be over a year.

This study should not be seen in isolation rather the whole concept and context should
be taken into account. If a simple application like using heated water can make such a
difference then the effect of integrating other better methods in our life would result in
a lot of cost efficiency.

Contrary to popular notion that if we are going green than it’s not cost effective, our
study has actually shown that green initiatives and cost effectiveness goes hand in
hand.

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Bibliography
- www.unitjuggler.com
- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Official Website, Govt. of India
http://www.mnre.gov.in/
- India Metrological Department, www.imd.gov.in
- User`s Handbook on Solar Water Heaters, Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy

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