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<br /> More than s "If you take the heat
<br /> out of an attic [in the
<br /> Ai summer],it alters the dy-
<br /> Hotr " namics of your air condi-
<br /> • 1 tioning," he explains.
<br /> SOLARATTIC IS A PIONEER IN DEVELOPING PRODUCTS "There are big savings,
<br /> THAT MAKE EFFICIENT USE OF A HOME'S HEAT. because you don't have
<br /> • to run your air condition-
<br /> ing as much."
<br /> ., � -"''''''',.i,- In addition,Palmer has
<br /> � - •- r I ''''',4!°„" - e, -� a space-heating product
<br /> ,40...-� ��' �• , that removes excess heat
<br /> j# ,f '�,%� from an attic and forces
<br /> V
<br /> 1 t cy"4 `
<br /> }� .',r it back into the home,
<br /> .•:,,,;4.-,1 , �� u ', 1 - 3 ' / do
<br /> which he says can cut
<br /> ; E . fi ,
<br /> _ ++ l �'w heating cpsts by between
<br /> '4s•., „ ', +ma y r" ° I ,,, 15 to 30 percent. He's al-
<br /> , a Ns } pie t+r ' ''
<br /> s
<br /> aka �x <; '� s" E� so now working on an
<br /> ,,,. r,,, ,n • �,,• other product, one that
<br /> s z. -..-4.4i.,:ro= ,. '"' ' ` will use attic heat to pro-
<br /> .r.-. vide hot water.
<br /> Perhaps one of the
<br /> } '-` ','..- '.' , /
<br /> largesttadvantages, how-
<br /> of
<br /> ', ' ever,is that all the So
<br /> • ,' p
<br /> laraticproducts are en-
<br /> vironmentally friendly.
<br /> Edward Palmer says his environmentally friendly product can cut 1 I Without relying on
<br /> 4, r, Ire ; , r •
<br /> the cost of heating a pool to$10 per month ° t;. r chemicals, they can re-
<br /> t' 4,r_'-ec ,!4",,i, r+ duce the use of fossil fu-
<br /> ll/
<br /> 1 els in the home or busi-
<br /> I home's attic usually could cut the cost to heat a I nesses by relying on the
<br /> stands alone. Either pool (typically $200 to $400 in 4 more efficient power of
<br /> it serves as nothing more than gas heating) to approximately solar energy.
<br /> a crawlspace with insulation $10 per month in electrical Although Solarattic re-
<br /> packed between the beams, or heating by using his system. V mains a small company
<br /> it becomes the final resting In short, that system, which (only three people, in-
<br /> place for never-used clutter. now is being used in 31 states, I <cluding Palmer), its
<br /> Talk.to Edward Palmer, how- features a pump that forces products have managed
<br /> ever, and he'll tell you that the unheated swimming-pool wa- 11 to make a national im-
<br /> attic is an essential part of a ter through a coil that runs be- ) pact. SolarAttic runs six
<br /> home—especially when you tween a user's pool and his or ( to eight radio ads daily.
<br /> can make it earn its keep. V her attic. Excess hot air from { "Each time one airs, our
<br /> You see, Palmer is the the attic is then drawn over the 1 office is flooded with
<br /> founder and CEO of SolarAt- coil to heat the water, which i calls," Palmer says. The
<br /> tic, an Elk River-based com- returns to the pool. company's Web site
<br /> pany that has patented some Palmer, along with the help ! (www.solarattic.com) al-
<br /> out-of-the-ordinary, but effec- of University of Minnesota ;; so has provided big ex-
<br /> tive forms of attic ventilation professor Ephraim Sparrow, posure,receiving 4,000 to
<br /> and duct technology. SolarAt- also has added a few new 1 ..-5,000 hits every day, ac-
<br /> tic came into being as a result products. For starters, they've .1 V cording to Palmer.
<br /> of an experiment Palmer con- developed a ventilation system 5 Given that, Palmer
<br /> ducted in an effort to helpheatthat helps circulate air `! sees sunny days ahead.
<br /> 1 a friend's swimming pool with throughout an attic. Palmer "There's no question we
<br /> • I excess attic heat. notes that the system elimi- , can grow to $100 million
<br /> After several years of re- nates ice dams(often the cause ' in business revenues in
<br /> search and development, of higher heating costs) in the 10 years,"he notes. ■
<br /> Palmer came up with a forced- winter and lowers air condi-
<br /> air technique that he found tioning costs in the summer. ] —Lisa Thiegs
<br /> MAY 1999 TWIN CITIES BUSINESS MONTHLY
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