The Stockholm Central Station in Sweden sees 250,000 people pass through it each day and, like in any crowd of people, a significant amount of heat is emitted from their bodies. But where a normal building would open windows or turn on fans to release the heat of the crowd, the Stockholm Central Station is going to draw in the heat through a ventilation system and use it to keep other parts of the building smelling like B.O. warm. Apparently the system is based on incredibly simple principles, but has yet to be used in any modern buildings in the way that Swedish officials plan to implement it.
It’s only expected to cost roughly $30,000 to put the system into place, but the energy savings in the heating bills are said to be 20% lower than they are currently.
If this system is as effective as it claims, maybe it would be possible to use this in other scenarios, like recycling hot steam from a shower or generating heat in public gyms.
So next time you’re standing beside a sweaty old man in subway station, keep in mind that he might be saving you money on your heating bills!
