Every time I take a shower or wash dishes, I can’t help but feel a twinge of frustration. Here I am, watching the warm water, heated by my gas-powered system, only to be used momentarily before it vanishes down the drain. It’s not just about the water; it’s the energy, the precious warmth generated, that’s being wasted.

I measured the temperature of the water coming out of the cold water tab. In summer it’s around 14 degrees Celsius. And in winter it is about 7ºC.

Every shower the thought nags at me: in a world striving for sustainability, how can this inefficiency be acceptable?

Retrofitting my house to address this issue is a pipedream and probably wouldn’t make much sense in our current economic thinking. The energy saved fixing it would possibly never compensate for the energy needed to solve it. My bathroom and the kitchen’s geyser are separated by floors and connected by a labyrinth of pipes and tubes entrenched in the walls and floors. To include even wilder ideas such as reusing grey water and rain water seems like a distant dream and the prospect of installing a geothermal system? Prohibitively expensive.

Yet, with the strides we’ve made in modern technology and energy storage, I’m convinced we can do better. Much better.

Dreaming of solutions

I imagine a prefabricated module, compact enough to fit within the dimensions of a standard shipping container, yet comprehensive in its capabilities. A module that would integrate everything related to energy, water, and waste, designed for super efficiency and zero waste. Warm and cold zones are optimally managed, grey water recycled with possibly also collecting rainwater and most energy in a house harnessed and reused. The oven, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer… I want a module that seamlessly incorporate systems for anything related with

• Bathroom and Kitchen
• Heat and Cold Storage
• Water Management
• Energy Production and Storage

Imagining this is not too hard. There are already off-the-shelf solutions existing that could be combined. For example, there are already shower designs that recycle warm water and the program Fully Charged made a series that introduces a range of solutions from heat storage, heat pumps and smart meters.

So many smart people on this planet? Why isn’t this just available? My brother and sister-in-law had a new house built. Insulation and a heat pump are optional not even mandatory options. We should take the design of new homes much further and strive for truly efficient homes. And what are we doing to do with all those houses that are still burning diesel for their heating?

The technology exists, the need is undeniable, and the potential impact is monumental. As we stand on the brink of a global housing demand surge, I think the opportunity to integrate such modules into new buildings could redefine sustainability in construction.

This vision is not just about improving individual homes; it’s about setting a new standard for the construction industry. As we look forward to building millions of new homes worldwide, integrating efficient, sustainable modules need to change.

Just some thoughts that need further exploring. I invite anyone reading this to join the conversation, to explore and expand upon this idea.

To all professionals and enthusiasts in the field of design, architecture, and sustainable technology: let’s innovate! The future of our planet and the efficiency of our homes depend on it.