BUSINESS JOURNAL EVENT

2008 Health Care Conference: Frontiers of Health Care

Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa, Santa Rosa

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Local investor-backed AspenAir steps up to fight smoky homes

MARTINEZ – AspenAir, the North Bay air filtration company that got a jump-start from the North Bay Angels, has two distributors and is beginning to ship product during one of the worst fire seasons California has ever seen. “We’ve stepped up production in response to growing demand,” said President and CEO Mike Gunion.

AspenAir developed a unique filtration system that removes 99 percent of particulates down to .1 micron in size, outperforming traditional, ozone-producing air filters and using much less energy.

The technology employs a high-voltage ion chamber which electronically charges and polarizes particles, causing them to agglomerate on a filter medium. Unlike traditional filters, the AspenAir filter becomes more efficient as it collects more particles, so it doesn’t require changing as often.

The company is an outgrowth of Air Ion Devices Inc., formerly of San Rafael, which initially developed a way to balance the air in cigarette smoke-clogged rooms.

Now located in Martinez, AspenAir markets its homewide-filtration systems to heating and air conditioning contractors through two distributors, one in Northern California and one in Arizona.

According to Richard Batt, North Bay regional manager for the distributor Slakey Brothers of Elk Grove, contractors love the ease of installation, which takes less than an hour and requires no dismantling of the existing system. “It’s completely enclosed in a plastic grid, so there’s no danger of escaping voltage,” said Mr. Batt.

Although the system generates 110 volts inside the chamber, it burns less than two watts of energy. “That and the no-ozone feature make it a green technology, which is why we distribute it,” he said.

His company is launching a second wave of education and promotion to introduce the AspenAir system to contractors.

“A lot of them distrust it because it’s not metal, but AspenAir has stepped up and made all the right moves to prove how well the system works,” he said.

To see it in action you can link to a video demonstration on the AspenAir site, or you can listen to Jerry Gladstone, a North Bay Angel and former vice president of Agilent.

“I opened a lot of windows on a hot night recently, and when I woke up the house had filled with smoke,” said Mr. Gladstone, who is prone to allergies.

He turned on the filtration system and within an hour the air was scrubbed clean.

“The quality of the air that system produces is almost better than natural air. It approaches the air in a clean room,” said Mr. Gladstone. AspenAir systems cost $1,000, about the same as a traditional system, although installation and energy costs are significantly less.

In the North Bay they’re carried by Reliable Refrigeration in Napa, Downing Heating & Air Conditioning in San Rafael, Henry Mechanical Inc. in Windsor, Lennon Heating & Air in Sonoma and RD Heating & Air Conditioning in Fairfield.

For more information, visit www.aspenairinside.com.