"The project's innovative approach allowed us to make necessary improvements to our base exchange and address mandated energy savings," said John Li, Luke energy manager, referring to Executive Order 13123, which requires federal agencies to reduce energy use 35 percent from 1985 levels by 2010. "With the guaranteed savings generated by this project, we'll be able to upgrade facilities and increase energy efficiency at no additional cost to taxpayers."
The Honeywell-led upgrades - the fourth task order the company has performed for the base - are expected to help the base cut electricity use by 12.4 million kilowatt-hours per year, which is nearly 14 percent of the amount consumed in the previous year, according to Honeywell. Those upgrades and services include a mix of traditional and renewable conservation measures, such as a photovoltaic solar-integrated roof.
Working with Solar Integrated Technologies, a company that designs and manufactures building-integrated photovoltaic systems for commercial roofing and portable solar applications worldwide, Honeywell said it will replace an aging, leaking roof on the Base Exchange building with a 144,000-square-foot photovoltaic solar roof system. The system will initially produce more than 120 kilowatts of power, according to Honeywell, and provide decades of free, zero-emissions energy for the base. The local utility will provide a $488,000 rebate to help pay for the system.
Other upgrades include:
The base will get new automated technology to maintain its chilled water/air conditioning units in a harsh desert environment.
Honeywell said it will install fluorescent lighting that has 70 percent more power than the old lights and are designed to provide more natural lighting.
The EMCS is designed to expand the current building automation platform for centralized control of more buildings and equipment.
Automated temperature controls are in the plan. They are designed to allow temperatures to rise when buildings are not in use, reducing energy and equipment run-time.
Low-flow sinks, toilets, and fixtures are in the mix, designed to reduce water consumption at the base by millions of gallons per year.
"This task order represents Honeywell's close collaboration with Luke Air Force Base," said Joe Puishys, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. "More was accomplished in this one project than in most delivery orders because of the commitment from the Air Force."
In addition, the task order was completed under the Super ESPC program, which allows federal agencies to choose a single contractor from a pre-qualified list to implement a project. The base was able to bypass the complex and time-consuming selection process of a traditional ESPC. As a result, the project's development cycle was shortened from the typical 180 days to 90 days, and the base will begin to realize energy and cost savings almost immediately.
Luke Air Force Base and Honeywell are also discussing follow-on work that involves renewable and sustainable ideas around biomass.
"This would give us a more secure energy future because we would be less dependent on the electric grid or on the supply of natural gas," Li said. "It's through energy savings opportunities like these, in addition to the services and technologies installed, that will continue to give us increased comfort and improved operations and maintenance."
For more information, visit www.honeywell.com. For more information concerning Honeywell Building Solutions, go to www.honeywell.com/buildingsolutions.
Publication date: 01/23/2006
