Profile of a Patriot

Through the Energy Patriot, Senator Lugar profiles a student, professional, scholar, or member of the business community who has demonstrated leadership and initiative in taking concrete action to improve America's energy security. In addition to the profile posted here, individuals will receive a certificate designating them Lugar Energy Patriots, and a letter of congratulations.

Bill Keith
President, SunRise Solar, Inc.

It’s not just family history that makes the 100-year old farm house in St. John, Indiana, special. The owner, Bill Keith, grew up there and raises his four children in the house he now owns with his wife, Lori, and has since renovated. One addition to the two-story home is the same high-tech, low-cost energy technology that Bill designs and sells – saving money on his energy bills and providing options for average consumers to reduce their own energy consumption.

A native Hoosier, Bill is the President and founder of SunRise Solar Inc., which makes solar-powered attic fans that are attracting attention around the world. SunRise Solar was recently chosen to cool the terminals at Honolulu International Airport, and its products have been featured in several national builder magazines and made headlines in the National Association of Homebuilders News.

Installed on the roof of a building, SunRise Solar fans generate their own electricity from sunlight that solar panels collect to power the fan motor and pull out hot air. The cumulative effect removes heat and moisture, extends roof life, and best of all, reduces energy consumption. The fan itself requires no outside power, and the cooler attic means lower cooling costs for the rest of the house.

“My brother and I used to install electric roof fans,” Bill said. “In our minds we thought there had to be a better way. An electric fan uses energy.”

About 10 years ago, Bill wondered, why couldn’t you hook up a solar panel to run a motor to do the same thing an electric fan does? This eventually led to his first solar attic fan, the SunRise 850.

The son of blue collar workers, Bill spent several years after high school traveling and working in Europe and earning a Spanish studies certificate in Guatemala. He returned home to obtain a degree in Business Management with a concentration in Marketing from Indiana University. At the encouragement of his mom, he and his brother started a roofing and remodeling company that they ran for the next 20 years.

After his brother’s retirement, Bill sold the family business to develop his idea of a solar-powered attic fan.

The SunRise Solar 1250 fan atop the Honolulu airport.

With his background in construction and home renovation, Bill thought he could design something that was user friendly, looked good and affordable for the average consumer. He envisioned his product as a way to reduce electric bills and contribute to energy independence, which is why SunRise Solar’s motto is “Reducing energy consumption worldwide through solar-powered ventilation.”

“We’re spending a tremendous amount of money to cool our homes and businesses. I want to be a part of the solution, I want to reduce that,” Bill said. “Solar power is my contribution to the average homeowner.”

Bill attributes much of his business success to his own philosophy and modest lifestyle.

“If the main reason for your business is to help yourself you’re not going to succeed. If your main reason is to solve a need and help others, you’re doing it right,” Bill said. “I want to keep my product meeting the needs of the consumer. The money we make we put back into research and development.”

Along with advancing solar power, Bill is committed to investing in his home state of Indiana. The majority of its raw components come from within the state, and SunRise Solar assembles and ships its fans from Warsaw, Indiana. Today SunRise Solar makes three models, with more planned, and the small company has experienced triple-digit growth for three years in a row.

The majority of sales come from Hawaii and Texas, but extend as far as the Bahamas, England and New Zealand. Roofing, heating and cooling contractors are its biggest customers.

Along with Senator Lugar, Bill is concerned about U.S. dependence on foreign oil and knows his product can help ease that reliance.

“If you can reduce the heat in the attic, you greatly reduce the energy consumption,” Bill said.

As a side benefit, the attic fans also help extend the life of shingles. “Shingles are a petroleum product. If you can get another two or three years worth, you’ve just reduced more petroleum use,” Bill said.

Bill Keith can’t be certain that his grandchildren will grow up in the same home, but he can be assured that his solar-powered attic fans are contributing to a cleaner, safer world for future generations.

“If we’re going to be truly non-dependent on someone else to supply energy, we have to pay a price. That price is more than just monetary, it includes innovation, research and development,” he said.

Senator Lugar agrees. That is why we congratulate Bill on being our March Lugar Energy Patriot.