MINNEAPOLIS - Honeywell announced it has completed the company’s first energy-efficient building upgrades at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), which will save the school an estimated $620,000 in annual energy costs. The work is part of a multi-phase, $21.7-million energy conservation and infrastructure renewal program that will improve comfort and efficiency in university facilities while cutting utility costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

All the improvements UWM has asked Honeywell to make are expected to reduce energy and operating expenses by $30.8 million over the next two decades. They will also trim electricity use by more than 10 million kilowatt-hours annually - enough energy to power nearly 940 homes. And they will decrease annual carbon dioxide emissions by an anticipated 31 million pounds as well.

Honeywell is completing the work under three 20-year performance contracts with the university. These contracts allow school officials to pay for the upgrades using the savings they generate, which Honeywell guarantees. As a result, the program won’t increase school budgets or require additional taxpayer dollars.

“Through our Energy Matters program, we demonstrate how progressive partnerships lead to environmental improvements and cost savings that benefit everyone,” said UWM Interim Chancellor Michael R. Lovell. “By working with external partners like Honeywell, we’re making it possible for faculty, staff, and students to better understand sustainability and make meaningful reductions in the amount of energy, water, and other resources UWM requires to operate each day.”

To kick off the program, Honeywell performed a comprehensive energy audit on campus to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, focusing on the 10 facilities with the largest utility bills in particular. The first phase of the program included improvements to five of those buildings and incorporated a variety of conservation measures, such as:

• Updating building controls and HVAC systems to give facility personnel more granular control of comfort and energy consumption;

• Weather-stripping, caulking, and sealing buildings to reduce the loss of conditioned air;

• Replacing lighting with high-efficiency fixtures and occupancy sensors; and

• Installing high-efficiency plumbing fixtures that lower water use and bills.

Honeywell is also helping UWM improve energy awareness with a sustainability dashboard that tracks real-time energy use and carbon dioxide emissions to showcase the impact of the upgrades. The dashboard can be accessed online at http://buildingdashboard.net/uwm. The university will also include a physical display at the Golda Meir Library.

Honeywell recently began construction on a second phase that includes similar upgrades at the five other facilities. The company also started work on a third retrofit project at the University Services Research Building. In addition, UWM and Honeywell are discussing improvements at several on-campus housing facilities and the university data center.

“Colleges and universities are starting to see buildings as much more than shells to hold classes and board students,” said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. “The program at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is an example that facility retrofits aren’t just a means to reduce energy and operating costs. They can also positively impact the learning environment and increase sustainability awareness.”

For more information, visit www.honeywell.com/buildingsolutions.

Publication date: 06/20/2011