Elk River, Minn. (Apr. 11, 1995) -- SolarAttic, Inc. announced today that it has received NOTICE OF ALLOWANCE from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for a third U.S. Patent. The notice of allowance indicates patent office acceptance of the company's application dated March 28, 1994. The new patent will cover the company's solar hot water heating technology which uses an air-to-liquid heat exchanger placed within the attic in combination with photovoltaic cells. This combination provides free domestic hot water from solar derived hot attic air. The company's new hot water technology eliminates the need for roof mounted solar panels.
Ed Palmer, SolarAttic's President and CEO, said: "This third U.S. Patent expands the company's technology and product lines. Solar domestic hot water can now be provided without having to use roof mounted solar panels. And, it can be provided without having to use utility company power. The technology is aimed directly at reducing the costs of heating hot water with electricity. In temperate climates, the cost savings to utility companies and consumers can be substantial. For example, one Florida utility has an estimated 2.5 million customers with electric hot water heaters. These electric hot water heaters consume an estimated 470 megawatts of power each day. This is the equivalent of three coal fired power plants in the utility's inventory.
The company estimates that this utility's daily hot water power consumption could be reduced to as low as 1/5th or less (of current power consumption) if the company's new technology is applied on a system-wide basis. The company believes that its technology will serve as an important utility, regulatory and environmental consideration when it comes to building new power plants. The company also believes that its technology will serve as an important demand side load management tool for utility companies. At times of peak power demand, peak attic temperatures will provide domestic hot water with little or no utility company electrical energy input."
SolarAttic, Inc., manufactures proprietary and patented solar heating devices. These devices use the solar energy contained in hot attic air. The company's solar technology removes the need for roof-mounted solar collector panels. The company's products now heat residential swimming pools and provide auxiliary heat for homes.
Based in Elk River, Minn., SolarAttic has been in business for nine years. Its pool heaters are already serving customers in 26 states. Its space heaters are serving customers in 7 states.
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