metering.com 6 JUNE 2016
US multinational conglomerate Honeywell has partnered with the US Army for the rollout of an energy and water management project in Pennsylvania.
Under the US$29 million deal, the solutions provider will upgrade water and power facilities at the Tobyhanna army depot to reduce consumption by 20% and 8% respectively, on an annual basis.
The upgrades will include replacement of HVAC and lighting systems with energy efficiency models as well as introduction of sub metering of the systems.
The facility’s utility monitoring and control systems will also be updated, ageing steam heating and distribution systems, and inefficient cooling pipes replaced.
According to a calculation made by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the 8% reduction in energy usage at the depot will equal the removal of 2,000 cars from the road every year, and a decrease in carbon emissions of up to 9,500 metric tonnes.
The project will be funded by the capital raised on an annual basis from a 23-year energy savings programme deployed by Honeywell for the US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville.
John Rajchert, president of Honeywell Building Solutions, commented: “Performance contracts have proven to be a powerful mechanism for public entities to address important infrastructure needs while not sacrificing the level of service that these organizations deliver to their communities.
“Rising energy costs can be a significant hindrance to public entities because budgets are less flexible and are needed for mission-critical activities,” added Rajchert.
The contract is a measure by the federal government to meet the demands of the Presidential Executive Order 13693 stipulating that federal facilities must reduce power consumption by 2.5% and water usage by 2% per year through to 2025.
Col. Gregory Peterson, Commander, Tobyhanna Army Depot, said: “This project will not only help us upgrade our aging infrastructure but it will also improve our ability in managing our energy use with the information we need to make operating adjustments as we evolve.” [Canadian firm wins IESO funding for energy management upgrade].
Honeywell will also provide maintenance service to the building’s systems after completion of installation of the equipment.
Smart grid technologies
The contract follows the development and launch of a new solution by Honeywell to help utilities better manage their grid data.
In a press statement, the US headquartered technology firm said it partnered with its subsidy, metering solutions company Elster for the development of the multi-purpose solution – Connexo MultiSense.
The solution is claimed allows utilities to capture, communicate and process gas, water and electric network data from smart grid devices and sensors in a more simplified and secure manner using a single platform.
The smart grid technology is said to optimise utilities’ operations in line with business, regulatory and customer expectations by providing features such as the provision of advanced security models and management of device configurations in the field.
Image credit: pixabay.com.