EcoThermics, a new startup company in Peoria, wants to pump life into the nation's energy sector as well as the area economy.

The company's "game-changing technology" will make it a major player in the heat pump/geothermal arena, said EcoThermics chairman and CEO Merle Rocke.

Located at the Peoria NEXT Innovation Center, the Eco-Thermics team has developed a more efficient thermal pump, a device able to heat and cool with marked energy savings, he said.

"I think this heat pump will take the world by storm," said Rocke, noting that a $1 million grant from the U.S. Army spurred research on a novel CO2 compressor that's now being developed for home and business use.

With the phase-out of toxic refrigerants such as fluorocarbons, manufacturers of heating and air-conditioning equipment will be looking for the kind of technology EcoThermics will provide, he said.

"We don't plan on a large manufacturing center in Peoria. Rather, we look to license the technology to other companies around the country," said Rocke.

That technology was praised by Glen Barton, retired chairman and CEO of Caterpillar Inc., and U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, at a recent news conference.

Six employees presently work at the EcoThermics lab at the Innovation Center but Rocke expects the company to grow. "We'll have between 40 and 50 people - high-paying engineering jobs as well as sales and marketing people," he said.

Rocke will join other panelists at the 2008 Midwest Energy Solutions Forum at the Peoria Civic Center on Oct. 28.

EcoThermics was also one of 12 companies invited to make presentations at the 2008 Midwest Alternative Energy Venture Forum in Chicago on Nov. 6.

Steve Tarter can be reached at (309) 686-3260 or starter@pjstar.com.

EcoThermics