Efficient heating system makes debut New product can cut home energy bills 70%

BANGOR – A Bangor native and engineer has been hard at work for the past two years developing a remarkably efficient home heating and cooling system, which he finally has announced publicly.

Duane Hallowell, 34, said in an interview Tuesday that his patented Acadia system is twice as efficient as conventional heating systems and can lower home energy bills by up to 70 percent. Hallowell already has more than 500 customers in the U.S. and Canada, but Wednesday marks the introduction of the Acadia brand name and the first strong push to sell Acadia around the world.

“This is a revolutionary process with energy,” Hallowell said. “It’s not as complicated as a fuel cell, not as expensive as a solar panel.”

Heat pump systems themselves are nothing new. While not used often in colder climates, heat pumps are the dominant method of heating and cooling homes in the southern United States, Hallowell said.

In the winter, heat pumps extract heat from the air and send it into the home. In the summer, they send hot air outdoors.

Acadia can put out two units of heat energy for every unit of electrical energy it takes in. While most heat pumps cannot function in below zero temperatures, Acadia can function in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees and can put out 102 degrees of heat in a minus 10 degree environment, Hallowell said.

The trick is a patented, uniquely efficient “Opti-Cycle Technology,” which is absent from traditional air source heat pumps, Hallowell said.

Acadia is a large, square device that comes in various sizes depending on the amount of space it needs to heat or cool. A typical home model resembles a central air conditioner. Acadia runs on electricity and is installed outdoors, beside a home or commercial space, and connects inside to the air handler and ductwork with a pair of copper pipes.

On a tour of his Hallowell International manufacturing, assembly and distribution facility at 110 Hildreth St. in Bangor, Hallowell proudly showed off the Acadia model, calling his team of engineers “brilliant.”

Hallowell employs 25 people and in the future plans to manufacture his commercial models in Old Town at the former Georgia-Pacific Corp. mill. He expects his business to grow rapidly, he said.

“We have no competitors in the world,” Hallowell said.

Hallowell grew up in Bangor and studied electrical engineering at the University of Virginia. He returned to his hometown in 1999, and in 2005 purchased the patent for the Opti-Cycle Technology. A self-described “70-year-old man in a 30-year-old body,” Hallowell is serious and earnest, speaking with certainty about the quality of his product.

The city of Bangor gave Hallowell a $200,000 loan, which required half to go toward rent and half toward machinery and equipment, according to Rodney McKay, director of Bangor’s Department of Community and Economic Development. If Hallowell reaches certain employment thresholds each year, the city forgives the payment due. This year, Hallowell had to have at least 20 employees, and next year that standard will be higher, McKay said.

“He’s doing great. He’s got a great product. We’re enthralled with the whole idea of saving people energy costs as well as supporting manufacturing,” McKay said.

Acadia’s largest market is new homes, but the pump can easily be installed in place of an existing oil or electric heat system, Hallowell said.

There are at least two satisfied customers locally. Jared Ashley of Levant purchased the Acadia system last fall to heat his freshly built 2,400-square-foot home. He paid about $10,000 for the pump, which included installation by Airotherm in Brewer, and that was less than the quote he received to install an oil heating system, Ashley said.

“We’re totally satisfied with how it works and our low heat bill,” Ashley said.

Clyde Warman of Linneus also built a new home last summer and was investigating different types of alternative heat when his aunt mentioned Hallowell.

“I was pretty scared. It was a substantial investment and I didn’t want to throw it away,” Warman said. “So far, I haven’t had any problems.”

Warman’s father lives next door and uses an oil heating system. When they compare bills, Warman said, he saves about $100 a month with the pump system.

For information, visit www.gotohallowell.com.