Local product captures wasted energy

Glenn and Mara Blumberg hoping to leave a legacy

Florida House District 11 Representative Elizabeth Porter, High Springs City Commissioner Sue Weller and Alachua Vice-Mayor Ben Boukari, Jr., attended a demonstration by Glenn and Mara Blumberg as the couple explained how the innovative Eco-Aqua system saves energy and water through a patented process.

A local couple wants to revolutionize the way homeowners heat water by recapturing energy wasted through typical air conditioning systems.

For 30 years, Glenn Blumberg has operated Alachua-based Metalloy Industries specializing in metals, plumbing supplies and specialty materials used in a wide range of applications.  But he and his wife, Mara, are now embarking on a different endeavor, Green Lantern, LLC.  The new startup is manufacturing and marketing Eco-Aqua, a product that was close to being lost on the ash heap of history, but now one that the Blumbergs hope and believe will change water heaters for the better, save water and reduce energy consumption.

The Eco-Aqua system uses an air conditioner’s hot refrigerant to heat cold water.  On traditional air conditioner installations, that heat, a potentially valuable resource, is a wasted byproduct of the cooling process.

The Eco-Aqua system captures that otherwise wasted heat by running the hot refrigerant line into a special unit that sits below the hot water tank.  The heat is effectively transferred from the refrigerant to the water in a heat exchanger.  The heating occurs without a pump, electrical wiring or moving parts through a process called passive loop technology and thermosiphoning and the benefits are significant, Glenn Blumberg says.

“We’re reducing energy consumption without the need of heating elements,” he said.  “We’re also cooling the refrigerant, thereby reducing the workload and increasing the efficiency and lifespan of the air conditioning compressor.”

Blumberg estimates that as much as 15 to 20 percent of household energy consumption is attributable to heating water.  In climates like Florida, where air conditioners are used the majority of the year, he said the Eco-Aqua system can reduce that energy dependence substantially.  What’s more is that according to studies, the efficiency, or S.E.E.R rating, of an air conditioner with a current rating of 13 could improve to 16 because the returning refrigerant is already cooled.  That means the compressor needs less energy to recycle it.

The system is reported to produce about 60 gallons of hot water per hour while the air conditioner is running.  As an added convenience, the system can also include a passive heat transfer loop to deliver instant hot water to any shower or faucet.  That proprietary loop could save thousands of gallons of water annually for households or businesses where obtaining hot water requires faucets to run for extended periods of time.

Although the Eco-Aqua system is not an entirely new concept, similar systems sold by other manufactures cost upwards of $4,000, likely neither affordable nor worth the efficiency for most applications.  The Blumbergs are offering the complete package for as little as $1,400, depending on specifications and options.

The systems may only be installed by licensed air conditioning and plumbing specialists who have also been trained and certified by Green Lantern in the techniques and processes developed by the company.  By setting high standards on the installation process, Glenn Blumberg said his company is able to warranty the Eco-Aqua system for five years against defects in materials and workmanship.

Eco-Aqua probably would never have been possible if not for happenstance.  Glenn Blumberg said he discovered the product about two years ago while at the Gainesville home of an old friend who boasted about not using electricity to heat his water since 1988.  Blumberg was invited to see the device and upon closer inspection, he saw printed on the unit the word Dinh, a company owned and operated by longtime friend and fellow-Alachua businessman Khanh Dinh.

Dinh reportedly manufactured about 50 units in the 1980s, but production was stopped because of the laborious manufacturing process taking about 5-6 hours each, Blumberg said.  Nevertheless, he remained interested in the system and saw great potential.  Dinh agreed to allow the Blumbergs to license the technology and revive the once-abandoned project.

After about two years of fine-tuning Eco-Aqua and the installation process, Glenn and Mara are moving full steam ahead manufacturing the units, although at a significantly reduced cost than when Dinh first produced them.  The new units are being produced through a new, streamlined and more efficient process.

A majority woman-owned small business, Green Lantern represents the business for which the Blumbergs say they want to be remembered.

“This really is our legacy,” Glenn Blumberg said.  “If we can do something to improve future generations by preserving energy, water and other natural resources, through our products, then we’ve accomplished our goal.”

The couple also pride themselves on using a manufacturing facility in Jacksonville.

“Everything about our product is made in America,” Mara Blumberg said. From the design to the materials and assembly, everything we’re doing is one-hundred percent U.S.A.”

Getting their product to market didn’t happen overnight or without forethought.  The couple says they set up the company so that a portion of all profits will benefit a variety of international energy, water and wildlife conservation foundations.

“It’s taken a long time to get to this point,” a proud Mara Blumberg said.  “And we’ve done it slowly because we wanted it done right.”