Blue Mountains. Local technology

Paul Curtis, of Medlow Bath, has secured the financial backing of American investors to develop energy-saving inventions. A local factory and one in the USA will produce Mil-Max super-insulation bricks. “Part of the company will be US-owned which is a bit disappointing, but we will still have majority ownership and we had tried for years and were completely unsuccessful in finding any local investors,“ he told a local newspaper.

Mil-Max super-insulation bricks are made of a light but strong and non-combustible core material Mr Curtis developed to minimise installation labour costs, maximise insulation and energy efficiency while doing away with the need to use consecutive layers and roof trusses to insulate the home.

Mr Curtis will also produce solar thermal collector panels which he developed with technical support from the Australian National University and a federal government grant. “All the technology was developed here in the Blue Mountains,” he said.