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Honeywell announces Michigan school district plan to boost learning and cut utility costs
Honeywell has unveiled a plan to help Taylor School District in Taylor, Mich., improve school facilities and infrastructure, and save more than $550,000 in annual energy and operating costs. The $14-million energy conservation and building modernization program, which is partially backed by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, will enable the district to address deferred maintenance, and boost the comfort and safety of students and staff.
January 21, 2011 By Alyssa Dalton
The district will use savings from the program to pay for the upgrades. As a result, the work should not increase operating budgets or require additional taxpayer dollars.
Results from Honeywell’s second annual national “School Energy and Environment Survey” revealed that almost 90 percent of school leaders see a direct link between the quality and performance of school facilities, and student achievement, said the company. CLICK HERE to read more about the findings of the survey.
“Most of our facilities had not gone through a major renovation in more than two decades,” explained Beth Iverson, superintendent of Taylor School District. “And, like many districts in Michigan, we didn’t have the resources to properly maintain existing systems, let alone install new equipment. By working with Honeywell and leveraging energy savings to pay for needed improvements, we’re able to give our students the learning environment they deserve.”
As part of the program, Honeywell will deploy a wireless mesh network that will provide broadband Internet access across all the schools. This will expand the district’s connectivity, and allow teachers to use interactive whiteboards and other online learning tools in the classroom.
Honeywell will also install several conservation measures in all 21 of the district’s buildings, such as:
- Replacing outdated and inefficient boilers and controls used to heat schools;
- Replacing lighting with high-efficiency fixtures and occupancy sensors;
- Updating and integrating energy management systems to help facility personnel track energy use and identify additional opportunities to increase savings;
- Replacing doors and windows, and caulking, weather-stripping and sealing doors, windows and building seams to reduce the loss of warm and cool air;
- Installing new plumbing fixtures to decrease water use.
The company estimates the upgrades will cut electricity consumption by 2.67 million kilowatt-hours per year and decrease annual carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 3300 metric tons.
“The program for Taylor School District illustrates how important modern, comfortable and energy-efficient buildings are to the success of a district and everyone it serves,” said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions.
For more information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.
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