But a new air-flow system installed in his Orem home has him resting more comfortably, said his mother, Kerry Lynne Shaw.

"Moving the cool air through the house helps him sleep better," Shaw said. "It's a little thing, but I've noticed it."

The new cooling technique - Powerzoning - shifts cold air from a basement to boiling attics, keeping the temperature through the entire house the same, during any time of the day and any season throughout the year.

Invented by a Denver-based company, also called Powerzoning, the process involves making a few modifications to existing furnaces.

The company, operating in half a dozen states, recently opened a branch in Orem and has modified the vent systems of several families in the valley.

Rex Halbeisen, Powerzoning chief executive officer, said a branch was opened in Utah because nearly 90 percent of single-family homes in the state have basements.

Powerzoning does not require that a new air conditioning system be installed. Instead, new vents and screens are placed in existing systems - primarily in a basement - to better control air flow. Halbeisen said Powerzoning takes three to six hours to install.

"We're taking all the air that sneaks downstairs and hangs in the basements, and [we] shake it back into the house," Halbeisen said.

The system can cost from $900 to $1,600. However, Halbeisen said that those who install Powerzoning can decrease their utility bills by 30 percent to 35 percent.

Powerzoning also has partnered with the Angel's Hands Foundation, a Utah nonprofit group that supports families with children with rare diseases.

"A lot of families that we work for have kids who are sensitive to temperature," said foundation founder Mark Kristensen. "I think they are really going to benefit from this system."

The Shaws' vent system was modified free of charge after Powerzoning's Halbeisen heard her son's story from the foundation. Mason's skin disease is lamellar ichthyosis, which is rare and inherited. It causes his body temperature to fluctuate, sometimes swinging from 90 degrees to 107 degrees, Shaw said.

"It's really nice to have companies like these on your side," Shaw said. "It really benefits Mason, and I don't even think I could've done it without their help."

Powerzoning is asking the public and hospitals across the state to submit nominations for families who would benefit from the technology. Families are eligible if they have a child under 18 who is sensitive to heat or cold because of an illness and bear a financial burden due to their child's medical bills.

Five to ten families will be chosen. Nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Aug. 17.

abreton@sltrib.com