Engineer was on energy
industry’s cutting edge

Borge 'Ben' Breining / Energy conservation pioneer

SEE ALSO: OBITUARIES

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By Pat Gee
pgee@starbulletin.com

Borge "Ben" Breining, an energy conservation pioneer, died on May 17 in Honolulu after suffering a stroke several days earlier. He was 77.

Breining started his own company, American Technology, in the early 1970s, then spearheaded energy conservation in Hawaii years before it became an important local and national issue, said developer Rick Rainalter of Kamuela Associates LLC, a longtime friend and business associate

Breining was "one of the most brilliant mechanical engineers I have ever met, and it's a very difficult area to get good results. His end product was better than most," Rainalter said.

In the mid-1970s, Breining designed, built and installed Hawaii's first major residential solar hot water heating system atop the Windward Passage condominium in Kailua, still one of Hawaii's largest, said Rainalter, who helped build the project.

Breining also was the first in Hawaii to implement the shared-savings concept with the Pavilion condominium in Waikiki in 1975 -- where his fee was based on the money saved due to installation of an energy conservation system, Rainalter added.

"Ben was definitely on the cutting edge of energy conservation in our industry's infancy," said Cully Judd, chairman of Inter-Island Solar Supply.

"Back then, when Ben couldn't buy a piece of equipment off the shelf, he just designed and built it himself, like the solar panels for Windward Passage," Judd said.

Breining was an avid sailor and belonged to the Kaneohe Yacht Club, Waikiki Yacht Club and Hawaii Yacht Club at various times. He was the official measurer who established International Offshore Racing ratings for racing yachts in Hawaii for many years, Rainalter said.

"He was an all-around wonderful person. He had a great sense of humor. He was very responsible, very independent; a loyal and good friend," he said.

Breining came to Hawaii in the 1964 to manage the Honolulu branch of Honeywell, the international mechanical engineering firm.

His ashes will be scattered offshore from the Hawaii Yacht Club at 10 a.m. Saturday. A memorial service and reception will follow at 11 a.m. at the club.

Breining is survived by two daughters, Lisa Breining West and Christine Breining Aday, and four grandchildren.