Kickstarter campaign seeks to reinvent the water heater
The most successful Kickstarter campaigns have been gadgets and gizmos, but a project has now beaten its funding goal with the promise to reinvent water heaters.
ISI Technology has raised US$248,479, far above its $150,000 goal, and 18 days remain before the close of the campaign. Its work began in 2006 to design an electric water heater that directly energizes water molecules without using traditional resistance heating elements, said CEO Jerry Callahan.
Lifespan is increased by years as a result of avoiding corrosion, Callahan said. The components are made from engineered plastics and solid-state electronics. Other features are more traditional Kickstarter fodder: motion sensors that detect when someone enters a shower, personalized temperature settings, and remote control.
ISI is not an established brand, but either was NEST. NEST, which Google has now acquired, redesigned the household thermostat and is focused on home automation. It’s now becoming common for innovation to happen in places where it wouldn’t have been expected before energy efficiency and the Internet of things existed.
The ISI design is an “endless” water heater, meaning there’s no tank. A large home might require several units to be installed; each unit is the size of a football, Callahan said. The cost is expected to be $395, which is comparable to a low-end tank heater.
(image credit: ISI Technology)
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com