UMD Receives $500,000 Federal Recovery Act Grant to Help Lower Home Cooling Costs

COLLEGE PARK, MD – The U.S. Department of Energy announced the award of a $500,000 research grant for the University of Maryland to develop energy efficient cooling technologies and air conditioners (AC) this week. The grant was part of a $100 million nationwide series of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants to support alternative methods to help save energy and reduce green house gas emissions.  Through this funding, UMD researchers will continue their efforts to replace the conventional compression technology now used in nearly every home and business.

"This grant award is an incredible investment and an important recognition of the University of Maryland's research capacity in this field," stated Congressman Steny Hoyer. "This funding is another example of how the Recovery Act is working to create jobs, support economic growth, and invest in Maryland communities."

"Cooling your home during the summer accounts for the majority of your electric bill," said Dr. Eric Wachsman, Director of UMD's Energy Research Center. "Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed an approach to potentially increase the AC coefficient of performance (efficiency) 175% using solid-state cooling.  This would not only dramatically reduce your utility bill, but could reduce U.S. CO2 emissions by 250 metric tons per year and eliminate the need for AC refrigerants, an even more harmful contributor to climate change."

In addition to satisfying the core objectives of the Recovery Act – creating and saving jobs and investment in projects that will provide long-term economic benefits – this and the other projects were chosen on the basis of the scientific and technical merit of the proposals, the need for federal funding, design quality and suitability for the intended purpose, and the strength of the project-management plan.

 ###