Saving Money and Resources
Hudson County, New Jersey was facing an uphill battle with utility costs. At one campus, an outdated heating system needed a lot of expensive repairs just to stay operational, and the buildings were letting a lot of conditioned air escape. In other buildings, water waste seemed impossible to control. All of this was costing the county a lot of money, not to mention the cost to the environment.
Time to Switch Gears
Hudson County made the decision to work with Honeywell to make critical improvements to nearly two dozen buildings and infrastructure. The upgrades range from replacing lights at Meadowview Campus with LEDs which will improve efficiency, visibility and safety, to decommissioning the clunky heating system in favor of a decentralized boiler system.
The new heating architecture will provide an added layer of protection in the event of power outages or inclement weather. It’s also a flexible system, so the county can look at ways to make it even more efficient as time goes on.
Adding Efficiencies at Every Turn
The Meadowbrook Campus will also be fitted with Honeywell Enterprise Buildings Integrator. This will provide a more unified view and control of all buildings, not only on this campus, but at multiple buildings throughout the county.
Chillers will be replaced and refurbished to improve cooling of facilities and building envelope weatherization will be improved, too. That means more of the conditioned air will be staying inside the buildings once the upgrades are complete.
Beyond Just Energy Efficient
Honeywell will also add next-level efficiencies the Hudson County Correctional Center with a new system to monitor and control water consumption throughout the facility. By curtailing overuse of water in individual cells, the correctional facility could save approximately 19,170 kilogallons of water each year.
The Investment and Returns
All these projects and more will be paid for through a $28 million Energy Savings Improvement Program (ESIP), a State of New Jersey-approved financing tool. It allows Hudson County to pay for the improvements using the cost reductions they deliver. The estimated energy and operational savings total approximately $1.7 million annually.
“This work is designed to be budget neutral or better for the County,” said James Regan, vice president and general manager of energy for Honeywell Building Solutions. “This program will allow the County to put some of the funds it currently spends on utilities and operating expenses directly back into improving the infrastructure of buildings, rather than paying an electric, water or fuel bill.”
The overall improvements are expected to reduce annual energy use by approximately 30%, specifically dropping electricity consumption by about 4,058,125 kilowatt-hours and 4623 kW, while reducing carbon dioxide and related emissions by over 104 metric tons per year.
“Every organization wants to be more energy-efficient these days,” said Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise. “In government, we have a duty every day to look for ways to reduce our carbon footprint—but we also have an obligation to our taxpayers to make cost-effective choices. That’s why we are so pleased with this project—it truly is a win-win—creating more energy efficiency and reducing cost of operation long term. Honeywell helped us map out an excellent path for change.”
