The Company

Nexajoule, Inc. is a startup company in Boulder, Colorado dedicated to developing novel cooling options with a quantum leap in energy efficiency over standard air conditioning systems.

The Problem

The cooling of homes and businesses accounts for one sixth of all the electricity consumed in the U.S., resulting in over 450 million tons of CO₂ emissions annually.  Cooling loads are highest on hot summer afternoons, resulting in major issues of peak demand.  Peak power comes at a huge cost to utilities, consumers, and the environment.

The Solution

Increasing the efficiency of cooling systems can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve grid reliability under peak loads, and obviate the need for new coal-fired power plants.  Standard refrigerant-based air conditioning (A/C) systems have improved incrementally over the years but are still a very energy-intensive way to cool a building.  In drier climates, including much of the western U.S., evaporative cooling is a much better option.  This technology is epitomized by the “swamp cooler,” a device that draws air through moist pads and blows it through the building.  Such a system typically consumes one quarter of the energy of A/C systems.  However, only a small fraction of homes utilize evaporative cooling, and, even in suitable dry climates, most developers offer only conventional A/C on new homes.  The poor market penetration of evaporative cooling is due to many factors, both real and perceived.  The market is in desperate need of cooling options that provide the superb energy efficiency of evaporative systems while still meeting the expectations of homeowners and building contractors.  Nexajoule is committed to developing such options by taking evaporative cooling technology to the next level.

Current Work

Research and development at Nexajoule is currently being supported by a grant from the Public Interest Energy Research program of the California Energy Commission.

Contact

For further information, please contact:  ejarvis@nexajoule.com