Salt Lake trying to turn sewer waste into energy

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AP

SALT LAKE CITY - How many toilet flushes does it take to power a light bulb?

Salt Lake City is exploring a pilot project that would convert sewer waste into energy to run a heating system in a downtown building, city water department official Jeff Niermeyer said.

It sounds gross, but should be perfectly sanitary.

The heat, Niermeyer explains, will come partly from solid waste, and mostly from warm water that runs in sewage pipes after draining out of toilets, showers and sinks.

The sewage temperature - between 55 and 60 degrees - combined with a constant ground temperature of about 55 provides a viable ground source for a heat-pump system.

Simply put, the system would transfer energy from one place to another.

Attorney John Lear's new offices will be the testing ground for the system. Lear, who specializes in gas and oil law, stumbled upon the idea last year while investigating alternatives to traditional heating and cooling systems.

It's a bit expensive - the system costs $20,000 more than traditional systems - but if it works well, Lear hopes it could be eventually used by the masses.

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

the irony of this - incanada is in salt lake. every time she flushes she might keep you warm, steven.