Renewability Energy

What Renewability Energy does

RenewABILITY Energy Inc., operating from Kitchener, Ontario, designs, manufactures, and sells the Power-Pipe Drain Water Heat Recovery (DWHR) System, a passive copper double-wall heat exchanger that captures heat from falling drain water in a vertical stack and transfers it to incoming cold water via copper coils wrapped around the drain pipe. The system has no moving parts, requires no maintenance, and is certified to CSA B55.1 (performance), CSA B55.2 (safety), and UL listed for potable water and food processing applications; the underlying design is patent-pending. The company reduces water heating energy consumption by 20-40% across residential, commercial, and industrial applications, with industrial deployments claiming up to 70% recovery of waste fluid heat.

The business sells a single product line through three channels: a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront (canada.renewability.com), professional and contractor purchasing accounts for plumbers and builders, and direct enterprise engagement with feasibility studies for commercial and industrial buyers. Customer segments span homeowners and multi-family building operators (residential), hotels, offices, and institutional facilities pursuing LEED certification (commercial), and large manufacturers and food processors including a named Unilever deployment (industrial). A secondary revenue stream is a 1-hour professional training course offering certificates to engineers, architects, energy auditors, builders, and plumbers.

The company was founded in 2000 by Gerald Van Decker, formerly of Natural Resources Canada, after developing the underlying DWHR technology beginning in 1993. It has operated as a privately held, founder-owned business for its entire history, with its first disclosed external capital event being a $1.6M award from the US Department of Energy in September 2024. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, and operations are consolidated at a single Kitchener manufacturing and headquarters facility serving customers across Canada and the United States.

Name

Renewability Energy

Legal name

RenewABILITY Energy Inc.

Website

https://renewability.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RenewABILITY Energy, founded in 2000 and based in Kitchener, Ontario, designs and sells the Power-Pipe Drain Water Heat Recovery System, a passive copper heat exchanger that cuts water heating costs by 20-40% for residential, commercial, and industrial customers across Canada and the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drain Water Heat Recovery Systems

NAICS

Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (33241)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Heat Transfer Equipment (Heat Exchangers, Boilers, Condensers) (IMAHAEAC)

Keywords

• Drain water heat recovery
• Heat recovery systems
• Water heating efficiency
• Energy saving solutions
• Commercial heat exchangers

Headquarters

HQ city

Kitchener

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Power-Pipe Hardware Sales: The company designs, manufactures, and sells the Power-Pipe DWHR System as a hardware product. Customers purchase the unit outright through e-commerce or through professional/contractor channels. The product is sold for residential, commercial, and industrial applications.
2. Professional Training Courses: The company offers a 1-hour professional training course with certificates, targeting engineers, architects, energy auditors, builders, plumbers, and plumbing inspectors. Contact form collects interest for this course.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Renewability Energy designs, manufactures, and sells the Power-Pipe® Drain Water Heat Recovery (DWHR) System, a copper double-wall falling-film heat exchanger that captures heat from warm drain water and uses it to preheat incoming cold water. The unit is sold as a hardware product to residential, commercial, and industrial customers through a Shopify e-commerce store, professional/contractor accounts, and direct enterprise sales. The company also offers professional training courses for plumbers, builders, engineers, and architects.

Product overview

RenewABILITY Energy Inc. (REI) offers a single unified product line centered on the Power-Pipe® Drain Water Heat Recovery (DWHR) System. This patented hardware product captures heat from drain water and recycles it to preheat incoming cold water, reducing water heating energy consumption by 20-40% in residential, commercial, and industrial applications. The Power-Pipe is available in various sizes (such as 60-inch systems) and features a copper double-wall heat exchanger design with no moving parts for maintenance-free operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Power-Pipe®: Drain Water Heat Recovery (DWHR) system that captures heat from falling drain water and recycles it to preheat incoming cold water, reducing water heating costs by 20-40%.

Products and services

• Power-Pipe® Drain Water Heat Recovery (DWHR) System A copper double-wall falling-film heat exchanger that captures heat from warm drain water and uses it to preheat incoming cold water, reducing water heating costs by 20–40% in residential, commercial, and industrial applications. Sold as a maintenance-free, no-moving-parts hardware unit available in configurations such as the 60-inch system, certified to CSA B55.1/CSA B55.2 and UL listed for potable water and food processing use.
• Professional Training Course (with certificate) A 1-hour certified professional training program on the Power-Pipe DWHR System, offered to engineers, architects, energy auditors, building owners, builders, plumbers, and plumbing inspectors who specify or install the technology.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces water heating costs by 20-40%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Watts Water Technologies: Watts supplies plumbing, flow control, and water treatment products that frequently appear alongside DWHR installations in commercial plumbing systems. It is an ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor but shares distribution channels with Power-Pipe.
• Viega: Viega manufactures copper and stainless steel plumbing fittings, manifolds, and press systems widely used by the same plumbing contractors who install Power-Pipe units. It is an adjacent ecosystem player in the same specification and installation channel.

Broad incumbents

• Bosch Thermotechnology: Bosch Thermotechnology offers a broad portfolio of high-efficiency water heaters, heat pumps, and hydronic heating systems across North America. It is a broad incumbent addressing the same end-customer energy efficiency goals as RenewABILITY's DWHR system.
• Rheem: Rheem is a major North American manufacturer of water heaters, boilers, and HVAC equipment serving residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Its high-efficiency product lines offer alternative routes to the water-heating cost savings Power-Pipe delivers.
• Bradford White: Bradford White manufactures commercial and residential water heaters and boilers used in the same multi-family, hotel, and institutional facilities where Power-Pipe is installed. Its hydronic and high-efficiency water heating products overlap functionally with DWHR's value proposition.
• Stiebel Eltron: Stiebel Eltron produces tankless electric water heaters and heat pump water heaters for residential and commercial applications, offering an alternative efficiency path that competes with DWHR's value proposition.
• Navien: Navien manufactures high-efficiency condensing tankless water heaters that compete for the energy-saving water-heating dollar in residential and light commercial markets served by Power-Pipe.
• AO Smith: AO Smith is one of North America's largest water heater manufacturers, offering a broad portfolio of residential, commercial, and industrial water heating products. As a broad incumbent, it competes for the same water-heating efficiency budget that DWHR targets.
• Rinnai: Rinnai is a global incumbent in tankless and condensing water heaters, frequently specified alongside DWHR systems in residential and commercial buildings. It competes indirectly by offering high-efficiency water heating alternatives to Power-Pipe.

Direct peers

• WaterFilm Energy: WaterFilm Energy is another Canadian manufacturer of Drain Water Heat Recovery systems, making it the closest direct competitor to RenewABILITY's Power-Pipe. Both target residential and commercial DWHR with distinct falling-film heat exchanger architectures.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/renewability_energy
• Xx.com/power_pipe

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Renewability Energy