Press Release
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Honeywell and Eastern Illinois University Bring The Heat With Biomass-Fueled
Plant
One of the Largest University Biomass Installations
Part of Program to Reduce Utility Costs and Carbon Footprint
MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 20, 2009 – Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced a
$79-million renewable energy and building retrofit program with Eastern
Illinois University (EIU) in Charleston, Ill. The program, which combines
energy-efficient facility upgrades with one of the largest biomass-fueled
heating plants on a university campus, will help EIU address deferred
maintenance, improve its infrastructure, and save approximately $140 million in
energy and operating costs over the next two decades.
EIU will finance the improvements and use the savings, guaranteed by Honeywell
through a 20-year performance contract, to pay for the work. As a result, the
program will not place a burden on the university’s budget, or require
additional taxpayer dollars or student fees.
The upgrades will impact all facilities on the 320-acre campus, and
significantly curb the university’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
For example, they will reduce electricity consumption by an estimated 6.2
million kilowatt-hours per year — enough energy to power more than 580 homes
annually. Carbon dioxide emissions will also decrease by nearly 20,000 metric
tons each year. According to figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), this is equivalent to removing more than 3,600 cars from the
road.
“Like many universities, our list of needs across campus is much larger than
the financial resources available,” said Bill Perry, president of Eastern
Illinois University. “This program allows us to make critical improvements and
keep our facilities comfortable and functional for years to come. Plus, we’re
able to reduce our carbon footprint at the same time. It’s an ideal solution
for the university and surrounding community.”
The focal point of the program is the construction of a new steam plant on the
southeast corner of campus that will be driven by two large biomass gasifiers,
the first application of this technology in the region. The plant will use wood
chips sourced from the local logging industry to generate steam and heat
buildings on campus. And it will replace the university’s aging steam plant,
which is inconveniently located in the center of campus, consumes more than
10,000 tons of coal per year and requires constant maintenance.
Through biomass gasification, the wood chips are heated in an airtight,
oxygen-deprived chamber until they break down to create a synthetic gas that
burns similar to natural gas. The gas is then used to fire the boilers, giving
the university a carbon-neutral solution for heating its facilities. As a
result, all of the steam heating load for the university will be met through a
renewable resource.
EIU chose the biomass system based on input from the Honeywell Renewable Energy
Scorecard, a first-of-its-kind selection tool that analyzes location-specific
details to pinpoint the technology with the most significant environmental and
economic drivers.
As part of the new plant, Honeywell will also install a small turbine that uses
excess steam to produce electricity. The turbine is expected to generate more
than 2.9 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, reducing the amount of
energy the university purchases from the grid and providing another
environmentally friendly energy source.
Additional conservation measures include:
• Retrocommissioning all mechanical systems on
campus to ensure efficient operation;
• Constructing a new high-voltage switch yard to
consolidate two intake points for electricity, which will lower the
university’s utility rates.
• Updating the chilled water system to provide
more flexibility in determining which chillers to use for its cooling
needs;
• Replacing windows at five residence halls with
double-pane insulating glass;
• Upgrading lighting fixtures and installing
occupancy sensors throughout campus to help reduce energy use;
• Retrofitting plumbing systems to conserve water
use;
• And sealing building envelopes to prevent the
loss of warm and cool air.
Honeywell will also provide ongoing commissioning, and measurement and
verification as part of the contract. The upgrades are expected to be complete
by end of 2012.
“Using renewable energy not only delivers environmental benefits, it can also
generate economic payback,” said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building
Solutions.“Through guaranteed energy savings, organizations like Eastern
Illinois University can make investments in their facility infrastructure and
reduce carbon dioxide emissions without impacting the bottom line.”
Honeywell International (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100
diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide
with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes
and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials.
Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York,
London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on
Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com. Honeywell Building
Solutions is part of the Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions business
group, a global leader in providing product and service solutions that improve
efficiency and profitability, support regulatory compliance, and maintain safe,
comfortable environments in homes, buildings and industry. For more information
about Building Solutions, access www.honeywell.com/buildingsolutions.
This release contains certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address
activities, events or developments that we or our management intends, expects,
projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are
forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon certain assumptions
and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their
perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions,
expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate.
The forward-looking statements included in this release are also subject to a
number of material risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to
economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting our
operations, markets, products, services and prices. Such forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results,
developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by such
forward-looking statements.
Media Contact:
Aaron Parker
Honeywell
763-954-4257
aaron.parker@honeywell.com
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