Aug. 14--A local inventor has built a device that he believes will not only save energy, but will extend the life of motors in devices such as washers, dryers and pool pumps.

Andrew Risso, a Bradenton resident, has developed the Energy Saver Power Protector, a cell-phone sized device that contains a micro-processor that can make motors plugged into it run more efficiently.

"And by doing this, we decrease the heat of the motor," Risso said. "I can take a motor and reduce it to table-top temperature. When you do that, you improve the life of the motor."

That can be particularly useful for a device such as a pool pump, which runs nearly constantly and is prone to burn-out, Risso said.

"If I can save up to 50 percent (energy use) on your pool pump, then you'll never have to buy a pool pump again because it lowers the heat," Risso said. "That's why all those pumps run hot and that's why they burn out every two years."

Risso approached Manatee Technical Institute last spring about testing his energy-saving device on a running motor.

Peter Berry, assistant director of MTI, was surprised by the results of the test.

"We took it down to our electricity program, and we ran it without it and ran it with the device, and the volts came down," Berry said. "I was interested in it, very definitely."

Risso, now semi-retired, was the founder and president of Energy Consortium, an Inc. 500 company that specialized in building automation controls for companies such as DuPont, Ford Motor Co. and Lockheed.

He has yet to market his device; though, he's completed several models that have applications for both home and industrial use.

Risso hopes investors will help him bring his device to market and thinks the consumer-end product could retail for $50-$100.

"We're in one of those situations where we need to get people behind it," Risso said. "Once we get people behind it, we're off and running."

Berry said Risso has a viable device.

"If you put this device on, it would save wear and tear on the motor and the life of the motor," Berry said. "I think in today's economy -- like this morning, they announced that TECO (Tampa Electric Co.) is asking for a 40 percent rate increase -- anything we can do to save energy is going to be valuable."

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