TWIDO - Efficient Hot Water at Home

Yesterday I went to a huge international show called Batimat - IdeoBain - InterClimat+Elec close to Paris to see Twido, an innovative product from 2&Go, a French company I have been following for 6 months now


Olivier Cocheteux, Founder & CEO


Their idea is simple: Lower your the Energy used for producing hot water at home



Why: Because regular Electric Water Heaters / Boilers are just not that efficient
These water heaters have been around for several decades and have not (or slightly) been improved ever since: They always heat up the full volume of water 200-300 liters of water, past 60°C to kill bacteria, whatever volume of hot water is actually used; The hot water that is not used slowly lowers in temperature, which is a waste of energy. The average static heat loss is 1.5 to 3 kWh every day, depending on the volume of the tank, even more if it is not a tempered room - witch is my case -

A New Idea : Heat up only the volume of water that will be used, not the rest !

How ? : In smaller tanks connected in series and heated or not depending on your needs ...




Like a Nest Thermostat in a way, it learns your habits from your Real Hot Water Consumption, and heats up the right amount of water throughout the week

WiFi Connected, you are in Control : The online Portal myTwido.com lets you follow the Energy dedicated to hot water, see the Temperature of each individual tank in real time, program manually the amount of water for the desired day/hour, and you can decide to heat up more water if some family or friends show up in the last minute to spend the night let's say (Boost Mode)



Design: Their slim design allows space saving, and now your water heater can even be decorative :)

Sturdy & Long lasting Design:
- Heavy duty frame/chassis
- Scalable: Tanks come in different sizes and you can get a 3 to 4-tank system, with 120 to 320 liters
- Stainless Steel Tanks : No Galvanic Corrosion (there is only water in a tank), No Limestone Deposit because heating is performed on the outside of the tank, no inside like it is done with regular water heaters' immersed heating elements, they come with a15 years warranty (tanks should last 30-40 years !, instead of 5 years on average)





But wait, there's more :)
Twido in its latest version becomes Solar !
The external heating pads of each tank can be powered from Solar Panels at low voltage under 50V - 1 panel or several wired in parallel - through regular MC4 connectors, and of course 230V AC like on the regular version (2  resistive wires in the same heating pad)



The more Solar you get through your panels, the more free hot water you get ...




After several years of using the Wattson Energy Monitor and the real time & daily graphs on the Energy Hive portal, I can see that my water heater is the most energy consuming appliance at home, by far
 Water heater Power used is 1500W during 4 or 5 hours at night

So a switch to their innovative technology would improve even more the overall modifications I made at home for the last 10 years:
- LED lights
- Heat Pump
- Electric Car & Scooter
- Solar Panels
- Energy Storage System
It's just the next step for me


Also I have to relocate my regular water heater downstairs (in 2008 it has been put in the building attic by mistake by my contractor too early because we were about to buy this extra space, and ended up not doing so and buying the apartment underneath instead), and the only spot I found in the upstairs kids bathroom is where the towel dryer is ... There is absolutely no room for a huge round water heater, and Twido's depth is only 25cm with a width of 86cm, just Perfect !




See the Full Photo Album of the Show (click the link)

Their website: http://www.twido.fr
Online Portal: http://mytwido.com


Video shot by French TV France2 team the day before:

TWIDO - A New French Smart Water Heater that should help lower your Energy Bill

Discovered through EDF Pulse newsletter two weeks ago, this southern France innovation sounds brilliant to me: Be able to have a space saving - flat &  slim - water heater, composed of several small tanks in series, heatable independently and connected to the internet

Intresting quotes from the CEO & Inventor:

"You knows what they're spending on hot water ?"

"The best way to save energy is to not use it at all"

"It's about time to re-invent hot water !"

"This could save a family 20 to 30 EUR per month"



This allows you to get control back on one of the most energy consuming device at home, that had been left as is for decades ....



Slim with 25 cm of depth only


Some options can be mounted onto it, like a toilet seat, a towel dryer, or just decorative lights


Also, as it does not use a sumerged heating element, but an outter heating element - around the container -, they said it could last 20 to 30 years, instead of 10 for a regular one



Follow your hot water energy consumption - Water heater is one of the most energy consuming device at home -


The dedicated App / Website - myTwido.com - allows to get back in control with your hot water use: Heat up only the amount of water you really need instead of the whole tank in a regular unit


Program your tanks heating depending on your real needs throughout the week
Star & Stop heating each tank one by one, you can get hot water faster this way, more economically too



This company's innovative product has been selected by EDF Pulse and is about to win


This is just great, I think, and I am interested in having it installed at home

But wait, there's more ... They have a Solar Twido in the works, that should be able to use your home generated solar surplus to make hot water - like the Energeno Optimmersion in a away -


Their website: http://www.twido.fr
Their Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv6T7-7cDgGQaB2lo410zYQ
Their Facbook Page: https://www.facebook.com/mytwido

Another video featuring their CEO Olivier Cocheteux / 2&Go.com

LiFePO4 Charge Controller - New Enclosure, fits 2 Kilovacs and a Voltmeter & More items in stock for the DIYE SS

Last week end, I got a new waterproof enclosure for the my new DIY LiFePO4 Charge Controller Project



With this new waterproof electric junction box, higher, I can fit the 2 Tyco Kilovac  EV200AAANA Contactor, the digital programmable Voltmeter, and maybe few diodes ...




More stuff I got for the DIY ESS Kit #2 : AC breakers both for Europe, and US



More AC twin breaker enclosures for the Kit are in stock now; I have almost everything need for 5 complete DIY ESS Kit #2 Control Boards


I had also received some more smaller diodes for my next LiFePO4 Charge Controller project, and my dad measured them with me ....


Some of them were only working on one side, so not at all ... (defective ?)


I got this lot of 6 from Portugal for very low price, so it does not matter too much, just trying things for now; Here is the specification for this



I ordered it because it looked like what Jack Rickard is adding on top of the DC-DC Converters he is selling in his online store

SMA Solar Technology Circuit Board Assembly at SMA's German Factory

The making of SMA inverters circuit boards at their factory in Germany

ABOUT SMA
Energy that Changes

SMA Solar Technology AG is a global leader in the development, production and sales of PV inverters and, as an energy management group, offers innovative key technologies for future power supply structures. SMA is represented in all important photovoltaics markets in 19 countries on four continents. The company has a staff of over 5,500 and reached a sales volume of EUR 1.7 billion in 2011.

Inverters are the heart of every PV plant
Technologically, the inverter is the most important component of a PV plant. It converts the direct current generated in the photovoltaic cells into alternating current compliant with the grid requirements -- for self-consumption or feed-in to the power distribution grid. As an intelligent system manager, it also monitors both the PV array and the power distribution grid. SMA inverters already perform important grid management functions, which are becoming increasingly important as electricity production from renewable sources grows. SMA has been developing leading technological solutions and pioneering trends in this area for years and is driving future-oriented topics. For instance, these include intelligent energy management at a household level, grid integration of solar power and connecting storage facilities for more effective use of renewable energy.

For all Performance Classes and Plant Sizes
SMA has an extensive range of products, which offers the right inverters for all module types and plant sizes; for small residential systems as well as large scale plants, grid-connected installations as well as stand-alone and backup systems all over the world. Plant monitoring and visualization products as well as energy management solutions complete the portfolio.In addition to this, SMA customers worldwide benefit from comprehensive services: from support in installation and commissioning of PV plants to quick and uncomplicated device replacement service in Germany and worldwide, and the free SMA Service Line for technical questions. The company also provides training for plant planners, installers, electrically qualified persons and anybody interested in solar power in seminars as part of the SMA Solar Academy.

SMA has received numerous awards for its product solutions and exceptional corporate culture. In 2011 and 2012, the company achieved first place in the German "Great Place to Work®" competition in the category for companies with over 5,000 employees.