“We actually originally licensed it from Ballard for fuel cells, and then we discovered it was great for HVAC systems,” he said. That’s when he had the idea to meld the heat exchange membrane technology with ventilation systems and heat pumps to create low-energy, zero-carbon HVAC systems. Many HVAC systems draw in a bit of fresh air, but mostly recirculate stale air, passing it through filters that don’t capture viruses, he said. The special membrane heat exchangers from Dean’s previous company allow Oxygen8 ventilation systems to draw in 100 per cent fresh air from outside and exhaust stale, contaminated air in a low-energy, zero-carbon way. “There was a lot of government money, particularly for schools, retrofitting existing older schools that didn't have ventilation systems,” Dean said.