Innovation

Neothermal energy storage is a thermal energy storage innovator. Their heater uses a salt/water mixture of sodium acetate trihydrate to store chemical energy and release heat on demand. Their goal is to reduce home heating costs and the strain on electrical grids while reducing fossil fuel emissions.

The innovation works by connecting to your home’s central heating system, furnace, or boiler. It stores chemical energy when resting in its liquid state; when signaled that more heat is required by the set temperature on your thermostat, it releases the stored chemical energy. This is done through the sodium acetate trihydrate crystallization and releasing that energy as heat. The technology is meant to save on heating costs by holding nearly 50% of its stored energy for up to a year. It also allows you to carry over unused energy to the next day. A full charge can heat your home for eight to sixteen hours and a full re-charge of the system takes about eight hours. Because the hardware is attached to the furnace or boiler of the home, it is unaffected by weather conditions and can operate at low temperatures. It is also a safer alternative to conventional brick ETS systems as it operates at a much lower temperature, about 100 degrees Celsius, as opposed to up to 700 degrees Celsius. The temperature can be set simply through a typical thermostat and requires no maintenance or coordination making it very user-friendly.

Inspiration

When we asked Louis about his inspiration for his Neothermal energy storage system, he explained the seed of this idea came about in 2005 during his time attending the University of Waterloo and living in Toronto. As a student, it was his first introduction to the chemistry behind what is most well known as a 'chemical heating pack' product and its crystallization & chemistry properties. This was, as Louis explained, the origin of the idea that would later back Neothermal's systems. Louis asked himself if this chemistry has been applied in narrow heating cases such as warming your hands for 100 years, why hasn't someone evaluated its more sophisticated application methods? Louis had other career interests that forced him to shelf this idea for the next 5 years, until 2010 when he decided the idea was worth pursuing. At the, time Louis was not sure how he would apply his new energy storage ideas; one idea included solar thermal energy storage. Still, he ultimately decided the idea better adapted to the same mission they hold today, providing a more sustainable alternative to already inefficient and costly heating systems. Louis explained that his decision to pursue his interest in researching the idea came about with a wanted career change from Louis and Jill. Louis followed this gamble by applying to Dalhousie Graduate school with this research proposal which was then accepted, and moving back to Canada's East Coast in Halifax. Louis also remarked that regardless of the different application opportunities that came with his new concept, that his chemistry remained the same, his priority was to find the most effective application model. Louis and Jill remain motivated to continue developing and improving their product to deliver the most dependable and sustainable product for their highly-valued customers.

Overall impact

Neothermal takes pride in providing the average-sized home with a superior and more affordable system for homeowners searching to convert from oil to electric heating. Neothermal aims to address the energy and economic needs of the often ignored segment of home heating while targeting specifically those with central oil-fired systems as they currently do not have a good solution to tackle high home energy costs. This innovation is heavily aimed at SDG #7 of advancing the goal of affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy.

Neothermal is the only supplemental electrical, thermal storage available to homes heated from a boiler or furnace and is the only one with an efficient system with the off-peak electricity rates that integrate with the house's central system. By providing a minimum 20-year warranty, Neothermal ETS (electric thermal storage) strives to avoid future technological turnover by providing a heating system that will last longer than currently available heating technologies.

Neothermal's system is reusable. For instance, in the event that a boiler or furnace reaches its end of life period, Neothermal's ETS can still be used with the new electric appliance with no major upgrade costs. Addressing SDG #12 of Responsible Consumption and Production, Louis and Jill explained that they wanted to create something that could last a long time without using any major VOCs, Volatile Organic Compounds, which have to be disposed of in a particular way and have a higher risk of environmental damage if spilled. Neothermal has effectively determined a way to avoid this problem. In terms of customer impact, they are not aiming to attract the individuals with large homes as other solutions already exist for those homeowners; however, they identified that the average-sized home, which is typically less than 2,500 sqft, lacked solutions for sustainable and affordable heating. Neothermal wanted to determine how green technology can reach all levels of income.

Louis and Jill explained Neothermal's ETS's short-term effect as the immediate energy transition of oil-heated homes to low carbon and low-cost electricity. The long-term vision is to target the energy system transformation as a whole and to have more renewable energy on the utility grid. Focusing on SDG #13 of Climate Action, they calculated within the next decade, their electric thermal storage can save between 1 and 6 tons of CO₂ equivalent and greenhouse gasses per year, per home. They have already tested and monitored prototypes. Evidence already suggests that they can reduce fuel oil used in a forced-air heated home by approximately 60-90% for its central heating, depending on the home's characteristics.

Business benefit

This innovation provides benefits for both the community and the business. As the business offers innovative technology to increase house heating efficiency, they positively impact the environment and the community. Despite the investment that buying this technology represents, the product ultimately helps homeowners save money and provides them with a sense of satisfaction knowing that they are also reducing their carbon footprint. Neothermal Energy Storage is generating profit while helping the environment. Jill and Louis have not taken an easy journey to reach where they are today; in the beginning, they faced rejection, but they did not lose their focus and were resilient. They created new business strategies such as starting as a micro-enterprise and then growing little by little. They were able to take constructive criticisms, and based on evidence and research, they created affordable technology and found their niche in the market.

Because Neothermal Energy Storage is developing new technology and hardware, it is no surprise that there can be heavy costs involved. They spent time applying to multiple grants and making pitches for their business, and with time and experience, they eventually won a few of these grants. Though the money was helpful, even when they did not win, their business benefited from the experience and exposure.

The hardware required countless hours to be fine-tuned in a lab. With the support of the Nova Scotia government and Nova Scotia Power, Louis was able to work out of Nova Scotia Community College’s Ivany Campus located in Dartmouth. This came with extra sets of hands in the lab, allowing them to save time in the development process. The space and program also helped save the costs that accommodate lab space, equipment, and time to develop.

Social and environmental benefit

Neothermal Energy Storage provides various social and environmental benefits; they provide realistic energy-saving practices that incorporate an easy installment system. This is attractive to homeowners as Neothermal's ETS system promotes environmental sustainability and reduces heating costs for its customers. As previously mentioned, Neothermal ETS reduces harmful emissions and the environmental impact of oil extraction such as deforestation, pollution, and marine ecosystems' disturbance while promoting a solution through electrification. Because the heating system can store the unused energy, it takes the extra strain off the electrical grids, and it is this feature that saves homeowners money. Neothermal has effectively created an energy storage system that will show almost 50% efficiency upgrades to homeowners. Neothermal offers not only a sustainable option for the environmentally-conscious homeowner, but also a cost-effective one as well. This company has the potential to create job opportunities such as manufacturing, marketing, and installation for Nova Scotians and eventually expand its practices throughout the country.

Houses have heating systems designed around three main energy sources, propane, electric, and oil burners. Neothermal has targeted the least environmentally friendly source, which is the oil burners. Depending on house consumption, an average household will consume 500 gallons of oil heating their home during the winter months. Providing a heating package that can give results of energy consumption reductions of up to 50% is a win-win in any scenario. Their planned 20-year warranty not only guarantees the investment will pay itself back but will put money back into the pockets of hard-working families.

The company helps us to move forward in achieving the sustainable goal #7 of clean affordable energy, making a huge impact for its consumers because it integrates with ease to the systems already installed in their homes, its easy to use, and it lowers electricity rates and indoor heating domestic water costs, reducing the heating oil consumption up to 80 to 90 percent. In addition, this system is designed to avoid any electrical panel upgrade for most homes, which is usually very expensive. This will improve savings and comfort, with the added benefit of an easy use. All this detail makes the company efforts be for sustainable and affordable energy by reducing the oil consumption and because the electric thermal storage stores heat in the same way as reusable, it is crystallizing salt/water hand warmers and also it will reduce the electricity cost for the people that uses it.

Interviews

Jill Johnson, Co-Founder

Dr. Louis Desgrosseilliers, Co-Founder/Inventor