Monday, February 4, 2008

Cache & Packets

Mainer's new heat pump pays off for Hallowell

By Efrain Viscarolasaga

For David Shaw, frustration, rather than necessity, has been the mother of invention.

Shaw was a retired compressor design and refrigeration engineer in 1995 when he transformed his frustration about a $400 electric bill into building a better heat pump for home heating and cooling.

The result -- the Acadia combined heat and power system from Hallowell International Inc. in Maine -- has garnered accolades since it was commercially launched last fall and is propelling the 30-person Bangor company foreward within the home heating and cooling industry.

Hallowell CTO Shaw's frustration stemmed from a basic failing of heat-pump technology. Heat pumps, which move air from one place to another without using fossil fuels to heat the air, have since the 1950s been used as environmentally friendly options in heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) applications. But because they draw air from the outside, they are typically inefficient in cold-weather climates such as Northern New England, and require additional heating elements.

Shaw's Opti-Cycle booster, the patent to which he sold to Hallowell, is the secret sauce of the Acadia. It eliminates the need for additional components and the company claims the unit can operate efficiently in temperatures as low as 30 degrees below zero, knocking as much as 70 percent off the cost of traditional baseboard heat, according to Duane Hallowell, Shaw's partner and CEO of Hallowell International.

The promise of lower heating bills and a smaller carbon footprint has resonated with both consumers and engineering groups. The Acadia has been featured by Bob Vila and recently won an innovation award from a panel of industry groups, including the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers and the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute.

"I think people around here are really desperate (for lower heating costs)," said Hallowell.

Perhaps more importantly, Hallowell International also recently landed a contract with McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. While executives would not put a price tag on the deployment, they did say the company would be outfitting 2,400 homes on the base with Acadia systems.

Hallowell International is also working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to install the Acadia in new border crossings and other facilities.

It's the right product at the right time, said Hallowell, and the company is steadfast in its intention to stay in Maine, and not sell to the highest bidder -- a situation that could shift frustration to larger HVAC companies looking to solve the cold-weather heat-pump puzzle.

"We're not driven on the dollar, but on innovation," said Hallowell. "We want to keep our jobs here in Maine and want to continue to develop energy-saving technologies for people in cold-weather climates."

Windy city hall

From the "in case you missed it" file: The city of Boston began the year by throwing itself into the renewable energy race by announcing plans to install a small wind-power demonstration facility at Boston City Hall.

Mayor Thomas Menino made the announcement in mid-January and said City Hall has been collecting preliminary siting information with the help of Somerville's Second Wind Inc. since October.

The early data steered officials away from a full-scale, commercial-grade turbine such as the ones installed in Hull, but provided positive feedback supporting a small-scale, roof-mounted turbine generating about 1.8 kilowatts.

Hull's larger turbine is 1.8 megawatts, while its smaller one is 660 kilowatts. The turbine at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 103 in Dorchester is about 100 kilowatts.

Second Wind and the IBEW, which will install the turbine, are providing their services free, according to a statement from Menino's office. The turbine itself is being donated by Southwest Windpower Inc. of Arizona.

In addition to the facility at Boston City Hall, Menino also said the city is examining the possibility of similar installations at up to six Boston public schools.