diff --git a/pysollib/kpat_load_save.py b/pysollib/kpat_load_save.py
index d3e26490..5beb9f91 100644
--- a/pysollib/kpat_load_save.py
+++ b/pysollib/kpat_load_save.py
@@ -13,5 +13,15 @@
 
 class KpatEmitter:
     """docstring for KpatEmitter"""
+    def _out(self, text):
+        """docstring for _out"""
+        self.f.write(text)
+
     def __init__(self, f):
         self.f = f
+        self._out("""<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>\n""")
+
+    def writeEmptyTag(self, name, attrs):
+        self._out(
+            "<" + name + "".join([" "+x[0]+"=\""+x[1]+"\"" for x in attrs])
+            + "/>\n")
diff --git a/tests/lib/pysol_tests/kpat_load_save.py b/tests/lib/pysol_tests/kpat_load_save.py
index c2a51d7e..00fa9708 100644
--- a/tests/lib/pysol_tests/kpat_load_save.py
+++ b/tests/lib/pysol_tests/kpat_load_save.py
@@ -11,3 +11,8 @@ class MyTests(unittest.TestCase):
         f = cStringIO()
         e = KpatEmitter(f)
         self.assertTrue(e)
+        e.writeEmptyTag("foo", [("one", "val1"), ("two", "val2")])
+        self.assertEqual(
+            f.getvalue(),
+            "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?>\n"
+            + "<foo one=\"val1\" two=\"val2\"/>\n")