U.S. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-New Hartford, N.Y.) announced a $500,000 Department of Energy grant for ECR International in Utica, N.Y., for new energy-saving technology, micro-cogeneration. The grant will allow ECR to develop and commercialize a device to enable gas-fired home heating appliances to simultaneously generate electricity and heat, ultimately cutting consumer utility bills and provide back-up power in the event of an electricity outage.
The DOE, after a year-long effort, established a program to develop micro-cogeneration technology for use in homes.
Three competing projects also received grants, but ECR's was the largest, with $500,000 over two years.
