Developing MPG-Like Ratings for Your Home Appliances

Clark School and Savenia Labs Team Up to Empower Consumers

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Nov. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE) at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering has helped local startup Savenia Labs bring unique energy ratings to consumers of small appliances.

Savenia Labs partnered with CALCE to test coffee makers, toaster ovens and microwave ovens, at the CALCE facilities on the College Park campus. CALCE determined the energy usage of the appliances by running them much like the average consumer would, allowing Savenia to calculate the projected cost of operating the appliances.

Up to now, government energy ratings have been limited to select large appliances, leaving hundreds of popular product categories with no energy or environmental impact information. Savenia Labs developed a 10-step process for independently testing popular appliances to determine each model's energy usage. The result is a Savenia Labs Energy Rating—an easy-to-read store label now available exclusively in Strosniders True Value Hardware Stores in Bethesda and Silver Spring, Md.

Many appliances cost more to run in energy costs than their purchase price. Savenia Labs reports that the most energy-hungry coffeemakers cost more than $500 to run over a five-year lifetime, while the energy-saving models cost around $30 to run over the same time period.  Now consumers can access this information before they buy.

"The University of Maryland has been a great local resource for Savenia Labs from the very beginning," says John Jabara, founder of Savenia Labs, which also has worked with the UM School of Public Policy, the Maryland Intellectual Property Legal Resource Center, and the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship. "They activated on-campus connections to technical and policy experts, legal resources and student interns that were very helpful in getting Savenia Labs from concept to market."

More Information:
CALCE: www.calce.umd.edu
Savenia Labs Home Page – www.savenialabs.com
Follow on Facebook – www.facebook.com/savenialabs
Twitter – www.twitter.com/savenialabs

About the A. James Clark School of Engineering
The Clark School of Engineering, situated on the rolling, 1,500-acre University of Maryland campus in College Park, Md., is one of the premier engineering schools in the U.S., with graduate and undergraduate education programs ranked in or near the Top 20. In 2011, the Clark School was ranked 11th in the world by the Institute of Higher Education and Center for World-Class Universities in its Academic Ranking of World Universities. Three faculty members affiliated with the Clark School were inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2010.

The school, which offers 13 graduate programs and 12 undergraduate programs, including degree and certification programs tailored for working professionals, is home to one of the most vibrant research programs in the country. The Clark School garnered research awards of $171 million last year.  With emphasis in key areas such as energy, nanotechnology and materials, bioengineering, robotics, communications and networking, life cycle and reliability engineering, project management, intelligent transportation systems and aerospace, the Clark School is leading the way toward the next generations of engineering advances.

Visit the Clark School homepage at www.eng.umd.edu

About Savenia Labs
Savenia Labs is an independent testing laboratory that provides lab tested energy and environmental impact ratings on popular appliances. We produce information labels and ratings so individuals and businesses can choose energy saving and environmentally friendly alternatives while shopping. Learn more at www.facebook.com/savenialabs or www.savenialabs.com

SOURCE A. James Clark School of Engineering

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