Earlier in 2010 Porticos, along with 580 other companies, sent a short whitepaper to the NCBST outlining the proposed research and benefits. A small number of participants including Porticos were then invited to submit full research proposals to the North Carolina Green Business Fund (NCGBF).
According to Department of Energy calculations, the new technology could save 283 Trillion BTUs of energy; more than the total energy consumption of some states. The resulting energy savings could also lead to 4.4 million metric tons of carbon emissions reduction, the company said.
Porticos plans to prove the concept with more complex and compact prototypes, resulting in an appliance that can be field-tested in a local home.
Kevin Carpenter, chief engineer of Porticos, said: ”The clothes dryer is one of the most energy-intensive appliances in the home. Yet this is the only major appliance that isn’t covered by Energy Star program. Because there is no energy-efficient alternative. We are going to change that.”
