BOSTON, Nov 14, 2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) — EFI, Inc., a Boston-based consulting firm specializing in marketing and business strategies for the energy and environmental industries, today announced that it has teamed with Savoy WebEngines, Inc. and been awarded a $524,952 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to bring to market the Internet-based energy management system, the Savoy WebEngine™.

The grant was one of 18 research and development projects selected by DOE to receive funding. The projects are designed to improve energy efficiency of commercial and multi-family residential buildings across the country by using less electricity and reducing pollution from heating and cooling systems.

"The Savoy WebEngine™ is aimed at a large market segment that is currently underserved by existing energy management systems," said Rusi Patel, president of EFI. "It has the potential to provide significant energy, environmental and economic savings for small to mid-sized commercial facilities, multi-family residential buildings and universities."

Developed by Westboro, MA-based Savoy WebEngines, Inc., the Savoy WebEngine™ offers Internet-based monitoring and control of energy use for multiple remote sites from a central location. EFI will conduct market research and develop a strategic marketing plan for the cutting edge product.

"EFI's expertise in strategic marketing and the commercialization process will enable us to bring our product to the public more quickly and fill the void left by traditional energy management systems," said Dr. David Nelson, CEO of Savoy WebEngines, Inc.

The Savoy WebEngine™ allows facility managers to remotely oversee and interact with heating, air conditioning, lighting, security, video surveillance or other energy systems at multiple locations by using a network, dial-up modem or the Internet. The system includes a unique rule processor capable of compiling and executing prioritized instructions based on such factors as time of day, temperature, motion detectors, security alarms or specific commands. In addition, Savoy WebEngine™ can also be integrated with communications devices like two-way radios, telephones, pagers and e-mail.

Founded in 1990, EFI (www.EFInc.com) is a specialized management consulting firm offering business strategies consulting, marketing, public affairs and government and community relations for the energy, environmental and integrated waste management industries.

Savoy WebEngines (www.savoywebengines.com) is a high technology company that develops products that advance the use of the Internet to enable new applications in the management of commercial and residential buildings.

Copyright © 2000 Business Wire. All Rights Reserved.