Honeywell’s UOP announced that Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co., Ltd. has successfully started up a new para-xylene complex using UOP process technology at the Sinopec facility in Shanghai. 

The aromatics project was completed in just 30 months from initial kick-off through commissioning, with UOP providing the technology license, basic engineering, equipment packages, and key products.

The new aromatics complex produces 600,000 metric tons per annum of para-xylene using the UOP Parex™ process. Para-xylene is a key ingredient in the production of PTA (purified terephthalic acid), which is used to make polyester for fabric and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) chips for carbonated soft drink and water bottles. The new plant will also produce 280,000 metric tons per annum of benzene, another important building block in plastics production.

With more than 140 million tons of refining capacity, Sinopec is the largest producer and marketer of refined oil products in China and in Asia. It is also the largest distributor of petrochemicals in China and is the country’s second largest producer of oil and gas.

For more information, read the press release.

To date, the program has cut energy use by more than 25 million kilowatt- hours (kWh) – enough energy to light the Golden Gate Bridge for more than 50 years. Over the lifecycle of the measures installed, Honeywell expects to achieve energy savings of more than 375 million kWh.

The company has retrofitted more than 27,000 rooms under the program. And these upgrades have helped cut annual carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 39 million pounds. According to Pacific Gas and Electric’s carbon emissions data, this equates to removing 2,400 cars from the road each year for the life of the measures, a minimum of 10 years starting in 2009.

Many hotel and motel owners operate on shoestring budgets, and have not had the capital or staff to participate in energy-efficiency programs,” said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions, part of the Automation and Control Solutions business group. “Cool Control Plus removes these barriers so they can improve their efficiency and lower their utility bills. This innovative program is both fiscally and environmentally smart, which is why PG&E continues to offer it to more hotels and motels each year.”

For more information on the 6th Annual Flex Your Power Awards, visit http://www.FlexYourPower.org.

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Honeywell has received an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) from the Department of Energy. The contract allows Honeywell to implement up to $5 billion of energy-efficiency, renewable-energy and water-conservation projects at federally owned buildings and facilities, nationally and internationally, over the next 10 years.

Honeywell received one of 16 new IDIQ ESPCs. Using ESPCs, federal agencies can pay for facility improvements through the energy savings they generate. Honeywell obtains the necessary financing and guarantees the customer savings so the work does not require an upfront investment or effect operating budgets. As a result, government agencies are able to reduce costs, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and create more efficient and comfortable facilities without additional taxpayer funding.

The contract builds on Honeywell’s nearly 30 years of experience providing strategic, effective energy solutions for the federal government, the largest energy user in the United States. This includes more than 150 ESPC projects at federal sites, which are expected to deliver $1.6 billion in guaranteed savings. These projects have also helped the DOE meet the aggressive energy and environmental goals outlined in Executive Order 13423, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

“We’re helping the U.S. government and other organizations address the growing demand for innovative solutions that reduce energy consumption and increase efficiency,” said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. “Honeywell has already implemented numerous federal ESPC projects that comply with the cost, delivery and savings requirements outlined by the DOE. The new contract allows us to continue this work.”

Watch an overview of Honeywell’s Energy Solutions.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 25 percent of the energy used in schools is wasted due to inefficient buildings, equipment and operations. This drains an estimated $1.5 billion annually from the nation’s schools, enough money to hire 30,000 teachers.

Since 2006, Honeywell has helped dozens of U.S. school districts beat the budget crunch with energy and operational savings expected to total more than $153 million. The savings are primarily achieved through energy performance contracts, which allow schools to fund facility improvements through the energy and operating savings the upgrades produce over a specified timeframe, typically 10 to 20 years. Honeywell guarantees the results so the work usually doesn’t impact budgets or require additional taxpayer dollars. Combining all active performance contracts, the company is helping hundreds of districts save nearly $372 million.

“Energy and operating costs drain money from budgets – money that would otherwise go directly toward the classroom,” said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. “However, districts rarely have the capital to overhaul their facilities. Our programs help schools boost efficiency without a significant up-front investment.”

Honeywell works closely with schools to develop strategic plans to cut energy costs and emissions, and increase the comfort of classrooms. The company employs a mix of traditional and renewable conservation measures to that end. Examples include:

• Perkins Local School District in Ohio is erecting three 20-kilowatt wind turbines to complement a variety of conventional energy-efficiency measures. The turbines will provide more than 10 percent of the electricity for the middle and high schools. And the overall program is expected to reduce expenses by more than $190,000 each year. The district used the Honeywell Renewable Energy Scorecard, a first-of-its-kind selection tool that helps pinpoint the technology with the most significant environmental and economic drivers, to identify the right green solution for their needs.
• Honeywell has installed solar arrays for school districts in Dixon, Pleasanton, Poway and Riverdale, Calif. These projects are expected to save the districts millions in energy costs. They also will cut annual carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 4.3 million pounds and nitrous oxide emissions by almost 4,000 pounds. According to figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this is equivalent to removing more than 460 cars from the road or planting 575 acres of trees.

For more information on Honeywell energy services, please visit: www.honeywell.com/buildingsolutions/energy.

Watch an overview of Honeywell’s Energy Solutions.

HACP will use those savings — guaranteed through a 12-year performance contract with Honeywell — to finance the improvements. As a result, the project will not impact the authority’s capital budget or require additional taxpayer dollars.

The work is expected to have a significant environmental impact as well, cutting annual carbon emissions by nearly 16 million pounds. According to figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this is the same amount of carbon dioxide generated each year by the energy use
of 640 single-family homes. The reduction is also equivalent to removing more than 1,300 vehicles from the road.

“The ability to manage our housing stock in a way that works to save the environment, reduce costs and increase efficiency is a radical shift,” said A. Fulton Meachem Jr., executive director of HACP, which serves more than 20,000 Pittsburgh-area residents and is the largest public housing authority in Pennsylvania. “And we’re approaching this project and partnership with
Honeywell as just the beginning of our conservation journey. We will all benefit from this effort and we are energized by the possibilities to come.”

The focal point of the program is the installation of geothermal HVAC systems that will take advantage of the earth’s natural heating and cooling to improve comfort and reduce energy at the housing authority’s Northview Heights, Homewood North and Arlington Heights mid-rise apartment buildings.

The geothermal systems will heat the facilities in the winter by using the naturally stored energy in the earth’s crust and cool the facilities in the summer by dispersing the building heat via wells drilled more than 300 feet into the ground. This will significantly reduce natural gas consumption at all three facilities, resulting in utility savings of more than $800,000 annually.

“Like many organizations, HACP wanted to cut energy costs and leverage renewable resources, but didn’t have a clear path to that end,” said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. “So we worked with the housing authority to pinpoint the right mix of technology to maximize the program’s financial and environmental benefits.”

The geothermal installation will replace existing gas-fired furnaces at the Homewood North and Northview Heights facilities. At Arlington Heights, Honeywell will reconfigure a central gasfired boiler plant to incorporate a geothermal system that leverages the plant’s existing piping. HACP will also harness energy from the geothermal systems to pre-heat domestic water
supplies in each apartment unit, cutting the amount of natural gas needed for hot water. In addition, the systems will enable the housing authority to provide central air conditioning at all three sites and remove existing window units.

Along with the geothermal installation, Honeywell will improve traditional heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems; install new boilers; seal buildings to reduce the loss of hot and cool air; retrofit existing fluorescent lights with energy-efficient fixtures; upgrade plumbing systems for improved water conservation; and replace refrigerators in several facilities with high-efficiency Energy Star® models.

Honeywell plans to involve residents of HACP communities through energy awareness workshops that will provide education on energy conservation practices. It will also provide employment opportunities to residents as part of the project. The company expects to install the geothermal systems and complete the other upgrades by fall of 2009.

As an energy services leader, Honeywell has implemented similar programs for more than 35 housing authorities nationwide, including recent projects in Allegheny and Washington County, Pa., Denver, and Wilmington, Del. The company’s housing authority programs are expected to deliver a combined $22 million in energy savings next year.

Watch an overview of Honeywell’s Energy Solutions.

Honeywell has developed a first-of-its-kind selection tool that quickly provides customers with the data to make an informed buying decision. Unveiled at the annual Honeywell Users Group for Buildings conference, the Renewable Energy Scorecard™ analyzes the variables for any given location to pinpoint the technology with the most significant environmental and economic drivers.

“Popular technology such as wind or solar power are often the default options for renewable energy, yet in some case they offer little if any economical return,” said Devin Castleton, Energy Group consulting analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “The Honeywell Scorecard is a unique tool that can help lead organizations directly to the technologies that offer the strongest economic drivers right away, providing an optimum advantage for organizations who are not only motivated by environmental stewardship but also by economic value.”

The tool looks at six proven renewable technologies, including solar, wind, biomass and geothermal. And it provides a simple payback for each. So it not only highlights the renewable resource with the greatest potential, but also provides an accurate financial forecast derived from calculating tax implications, rebates, subsidies and other incentives.

Watch an overview of Honeywell’s Energy Solutions.