FORT BRAGG, NC — Honeywell Automation & Control Solutions (ACS) Service recently began work on a major energy-conservation upgrade project at the Fort Bragg, NC, Army post intended to save $1.8 million per year. Under the same contract, Honeywell is managing the 15 central heating and cooling plants at the post.

"We're pleased to continue our energy-efficiency partnership with Fort Bragg," said John Selldorff, president, Honeywell Automation & Control Solutions Service. "Honeywell's advanced automated controls and our service experts' skills at operating them will ensure dramatic savings at the base."

The energy-conservation upgrade contract calls for Honeywell to install more than $11.2 million in energy-efficient equipment and operational improvements. The equipment includes air-conditioning chillers, cooling towers, pumps, hot-water systems, high efficiency motors, and energy management digital controls at chilled water and heating plants.

The operations assignment, which has a total service value of more than $38 million over 12 years, calls for Honeywell service staff to run and maintain the central plants that provide Fort Bragg — which has a population of 44,000 soldiers — with heating, air conditioning, and hot water.

The new projects are the latest efforts of a partnership among Honeywell; the US Army Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville, AL; and Fort Bragg. The program began in 1997 under the Huntsville Center's Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) program. It now totals $51.6 million in capital improvements to facilities and infrastructure at the post. When fully implemented, the projects are expected to yield about $8.5 million per year in demand- and supply-side energy savings, which include upgraded equipment and changes in energy procurement practices.

Under ESPC, private sector companies make energy-saving capital improvements to federal agencies' facilities at no initial cost to the agencies. The companies are instead paid from the funds saved by cutting energy costs.

"Fort Bragg and Honeywell have developed a key partnership over the last four years that has resulted in energy savings and quality of life improvements to our installation," said Col. Gregory Bean, director of public works business center at Fort Bragg. "This project is just another example of our partnership's commitment to improve Fort Bragg's energy infrastructure."

Federal officials have described the Honeywell-Fort Bragg partnership as a pacesetter in the ESPC approach to help achieve the Army's long-range goal of reducing energy use by 30% between 1985 and 2005. More energy-savings contract work has been done there than at any other facility.

Publication date: 04/29/2002