Hybrid Showers

In response to my father's passion for
lo technologies accomplishing high functions,
I responded to Jay Leno's article on the
last and most cleanest steam hybrids titled,
"Jay Leno's Garage: A Case For Steam"
at http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/jay_leno_garage/1302916.html?page=2


HOTTER SHOWERS

This brings to mind the small boilers that run Japan vs. the large water heaters that sit around America. There's billions of these hybrid devices powering every modern home providing hot water for showers, washing dishes, clothes, brushing your teeth, etc.

My Japanese wife complains every Winter night (we live in Las Vegas) because she takes showers late (in Japan most everyone bathes at night and washes their hair in the morning) and the incoming water into the heater is so cold, the equilibrium is lost within a minute or so. Very inefficient, but in America, natural gas has been relatively dirt cheap until recently...

In Japan, they run Doble designs everywhere, from showers to washing the dishes, the power plant is a small backpack sized steamer that can burn your hair off. It's either on the wall right above the sink, or right behind the bathroom pipes. Very different from the huge tanks that require a separate room in most American applications of this old world wasteful technology.

The downside for American usage of this more efficient technology, is that the company would get sued to many times from non-precise consumers and there's not enough volume to satisfy our big lifestyle.

On the other hand Jay, you might be right about the emissions and impact issue. With steam or even super steam (the technology that powered WWI and the industrial revolution) we might be able to digitize Doble's idea and run a car more efficiently AND cleaner.

I'm wondering how the efficiencies compare to the 20% ICE and 40% diesel or gasoline hybrid?

How efficient is the Doble? Is it cleaner than a Prius?