Current News
For Immediate Release

Philadelphia, PA – May 5, 2004 - Purdue University, along with Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/SEP), Field Diagnostics Services Inc., (a BFTP/SEP alumni company, Bucks County, PA), Honeywell, Inc., Aire Rite Air Conditioning & Refrigeration, Inc., and FieldCentrix, Inc., were awarded a $426,250 grant from the State Technologies Advancement Collaborative (STAC) for their proposal "Development, Implementation and Deployment of Automated Fault Detection and Diagnostics for Vapor Compression Equipment."

This two-year project aims to improve the technology and reduce the cost of automated fault detection and diagnostics in HVAC equipment. Field-testing will be undertaken in residential and commercial buildings, and training programs will be developed for technicians.

This is the first-ever solicitation supporting joint energy efficiency research, development, demonstration and deployment of technologies where common federal and state objectives exist. Only 13 of 61 proposal submissions were awarded for a total of $16,807,582.

STAC is a five-year pilot program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and directed by an Executive Committee that includes representatives of the Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions (ASERTTI), National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and Office of Fossil Energy (FE), and an independent member. To learn more about STAC, please visit www.naseo.org/stac.

####

Since 1982, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/SEP) has helped grow the region through science, technology and entrepreneurship. BFTP/SEP provides entrepreneurs and established businesses the capital, talent, and expertise they need to compete in the global marketplace. Like its namesake, Ben Franklin invests in, builds upon and delivers solutions that grow communities and create wealth by supporting today's technological ideas and tomorrow's scientific discovery.