Hypothesis
 Initial Hypothesis, Broader Topic, & Hypothesis Revisited

Initial Hypothesis

Dryer exhaust would be a feasible source of energy to heat pools.

Broader Topic

Based on preliminary investigations of the YMCA and the questions this first visit raised (see appendix), we chose to pursue the issue of waste heat recovery in our case study. As the project unfolded and we learned more about heat exchange, it became clear that the dryer air was not the best process to focus our energy on, and we enlarged the scope of our inquiry to examine a variety of greywater waste heat sources. As our focus changed, we were able to adhere to a fundamental guiding hypothesis:

Hypothesis Revisited

The waste heat produced by the YMCA is a viable source of energy that could reduce the building's energy consumption.