Technology utilized by Dawn Solar Systems, developer of architecturally integrated solar thermal systems, has been acknowledged as a Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) Top Ten Technology by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Darlene Williams, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, made the announcement of PATH's latest update of its list of Top Ten Technologies during PATH's "Breakfast of Innovators" at the International Builders Show.

PATH was officially launched to improve the nation's housing through innovation. Despite the importance of the housing industry to the American economy, very little investment is made in residential technologies. PATH is dedicated to accelerating the development and use of technologies that radically improve the quality, durability, energy efficiency, environmental performance, and affordability of America's housing. Administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, it is a public-private partnership that works with diverse members of the housing industry to improve the way homes are built and remodeled.

The PATH Top 10 are practical, easy-to-use building technologies that are quickly gaining acceptance as builders experience the benefits of using them. Technologies profiled by PATH are selected for their strengths in one or more of the following areas: quality and durability; energy efficiency; environmental performance; safety and disaster mitigation; and affordability. This year, PATH identified 'Solar Water Heating' as a Top 10 technology. According to PATH, harnessing the energy of the sun to heat water is an environmentally sound way to reduce water bills, and able to meet part or all of a home's domestic hot water needs.

Dawn Solar, Inc. has partnered with PATH to help build the BASF Better Home, Better Planet Showhouse. Located on an empty lot in an existing neighborhood in Paterson, this infill project consists of a single-family home that will be fully accessible. In this project, Dawn Solar Systems and PATH developed a system to integrate a solar thermal system with the domestic hot water system and boiler.

"We are pleased that PATH has acknowledged the importance of solar thermal systems as a viable, affordable technology for both its energy efficiency as well as its positive environmental impact," said Bill Poleatewich, Dawn Solar co-founder and president. "We also believe an impediment to adoption is the unattractive appearance of many systems that appear as 'peripherals' on a roof. By integrating our systems within the roof or walls, owners can maintain the attractiveness-and the architectural integrity-of their buildings."

Dawn Solar Systems, Inc., located in Brentwood, N.H., was founded in 2004 to develop solar energy systems that preserve architectural aesthetics while reducing energy costs. The company's mission is to increase the adoption of solar energy in homes and commercial buildings by providing products that are easily integrated as structural elements of buildings, not peripherals.

Dawn Solar systems are certified by both the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) and the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), which qualifies them for government energy incentives. For more information, visit www.dawnsolar.com.