Recovery almost always pencils out — the question is how fast, and whether you are counting the right costs. This hub covers the three economics views that matter: payback, lifecycle cost, and carbon value, plus the traps that make a spreadsheet say yes when the plant says no.
1. Simple payback
Recovered energy value minus maintenance, divided by installed cost. In continuous industrial duty this is typically 1–3 years. Prove it with the payback calculator and the savings calculator. Background: retrofit ROI, payback math.
2. Lifecycle cost
Capex + fan energy + maintenance + downtime − recovered energy. Over 10–15 years the recovered-energy term dwarfs everything, so the dearest high-effectiveness core often wins. Detail: lifecycle cost, what a core costs, pressure drop & fan energy.
3. Carbon value
Recovered heat displaces grid or fuel combustion. At a 0.55 kgCO2/kWh factor, every MWh/yr avoided is ~0.55 tCO2e — material for ESG reports and tenders. Estimate with the carbon calculator.
Traps that sink projects
- Fan power double-counted: net saving = recovered minus extra ΔP energy.
- Off-design rating: a core rated 85% at low velocity may drop at your duty — see datasheet guide.
- No maintenance plan: fouling silently kills recovery — cleaning & maintenance.
- Wrong stream balance: supply ≠ exhaust caps recovery.
Related hubs & tools
- Technology guide · Applications guide.
- Tools: Payback, Carbon, Load estimator, Savings.
- Failure modes — why recovery quietly fades.
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