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Toward the end of summer 2007, Jeff Gilbert, then a technical engineer at Intel, was relaxing on a cruise in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, when he was struck with an idea that changed the course of his life.

As the ship’s stacks blew out exhaust from the engines, kitchens and elevators, it dawned on Gilbert that there might be a way to turn those emissions 鈥� and wasted air flowing from all sorts of systems 鈥� into electricity.

When he returned to Oregon, Gilbert started looking seriously into the idea and was happy to find that no one else seemed to be developing the sort of energy recovery and generation technology that he had in mind.

鈥淎 lot of people are looking into energy efficiency technology, but we’re the first ones to also create electricity,鈥� he said.

Gilbert founded later that year, and has since earned a U.S. patent for a device that connects to existing HVAC systems and converts exhaust into electricity.

鈥淭here aren’t any competing technologies, but we’ll be competing for the same energy efficiency dollars,鈥� Gilbert said. 鈥淥thers just save energy, though; we provide a choice for what to do with it.鈥�

The patented Exhaust Capturing Electrical Regeneration Device (ECERD) is essentially a group of mini wind turbines that mount onto cooling towers, vents or fan decks. When the exhaust from a building’s HVAC system blows out, the device turns that by-product, which Gilbert calls 鈥渟ynthetic wind energy,鈥� into electricity.

鈥淲ind is blowing out of these systems and being wasted,鈥� said Mike Gilbert, Jeff’s brother and the company’s executive vice president. 鈥淲e wanted to know: How can you capture that?鈥�

To answer that question, Mike Gilbert said they were 鈥渙perating under the cloak of darkness鈥� for years as they tested their ideas. It wasn’t until their first patent was approved in September 2011 that the Gilberts began spreading the word about Regenergy365.

鈥淭hat’s when we knew we really had something on our hands,鈥� he said.

Hopes are definitely high for Regenergy365: The Gilberts have already given up successful careers in the building industries to commit to the new venture. Jeff left Intel in 2010, and Mike ended a 12-year run as a residential architect.

The Gilberts’ father, Chris, spent his career manufacturing components for wind turbines and is now president of Regenergy365.

By combining their expertise and bringing in financial and communications specialists, the Gilberts hope that Regenergy365 can significantly reduce energy that’s wasted in HVAC systems around the world.

The ECERD technology may be best suited for heavy energy users such as data centers, hospitals, high-tech manufacturing facilities, and other commercial and industrial buildings. Because such facilities have HVAC systems that run 24/7, the small amount of electricity generated by each mini turbine would add up to create noticeable reductions in operating costs.

The electricity could either be fed back into the facility and consumed immediately or stored for times it is needed most. The Gilberts are also working with a lithium ion battery company from the Midwest to develop a customized battery system to sell along with their device.

鈥淭he next layer of energy efficiency is really in energy storage,鈥� Mike Gilbert said. 鈥淚t’s really a hot little market.鈥�

The startup was recently named a regional semifinalist in the business competition. The team is hoping to partner with Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center, or possibly Intel, to continue testing its product.