Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and Honeywell Launch Landmark Energy Retrofit Program
December 14 2009 - 9:02AM
PR Newswire (US)
Comprehensive Program Will Upgrade Hundreds of Buildings, Save
Millions in Annual Utility Costs and Create Local Jobs MINNEAPOLIS,
Dec. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Minneapolis Public Housing
Authority (MPHA) and Honeywell (NYSE:HON) today announced a
$33.6-million energy efficiency and facility renewal program that
will help the housing authority improve its infrastructure, reduce
its impact on the environment, and save more than $3.7 million in
utility costs per year. Local contractors will also complete a
majority of the work for the program, one of the largest of its
kind for a public housing authority, helping boost the Twin Cities
job market. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071030/AQTU029LOGO) MPHA will
use the energy savings from the program -- guaranteed by Honeywell
through a 20-year performance contract -- to finance most of the
improvements, which will impact more than 40 highrise buildings and
700 single-family residences across the city. The work is expected
to pay for itself over the course of the contract. "This program
allows MPHA to make important upgrades to our properties in a way
that will benefit our residents, contribute to the long-term
preservation of our affordable housing resources, make significant
investments in the local economy and greatly diminish our carbon
footprint " said Cora McCorvey, MPHA executive director. The
program will reduce the housing authority's annual electricity
consumption by approximately 3.3 million kilowatt-hours, enough
energy to power 310 homes per year on average. It also will cut
carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 19.2 million pounds
annually. According to figures from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, this is equivalent to removing almost 1,600 cars
from the road. Local contractors will help complete more than 60
percent of the work, which ranges from replacing old, inefficient
boilers that provide heat for facilities to caulking,
weather-stripping and sealing building doors, windows and seams.
During peak construction, MPHA and Honeywell anticipate that nearly
250 tradespeople will be employed as part of the program. In
addition, the housing authority and Honeywell will provide
residents with opportunities to serve as paid educators and
ambassadors, helping other residents understand and utilize the
energy-saving strategies tied to this initiative. All the
improvements are expected to be finished by late 2010. "This
program gives MPHA a way to address its aging infrastructure and
reduce its environmental footprint -- without increasing operating
budgets," said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building
Solutions. "These efforts not only benefit the housing authority
and its residents, but make a positive impact on the community as a
whole." Honeywell is a global leader in energy and environmental
services, working with organizations to conserve energy, optimize
building operations and leverage renewable energy sources. The
company has helped almost 30 public housing authorities improve
their facilities while reducing energy consumption and costs.
Currently, Honeywell is under contract to deliver more than $170
million in guaranteed savings to housing authorities across the
United States. MPHA, the largest affordable rental housing provider
in Minnesota, hopes to achieve Energy StarĀ® accreditation -- the
national mark of excellence in energy efficiency and performance --
from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of
Energy as a result of the improvements. It would be one of the
first in the public housing industry to receive this accreditation.
About MPHA The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) owns and
manages 5,875 public housing rental units throughout the city
including 41 high-rise apartment buildings, 753 scattered-site
(single-family) homes and 184 town home units in the Glendale
community near the University of Minnesota. The agency administers
approximately 5,000 Section 8/HCV rental assistance vouchers, and
operates two home ownership programs for both public housing and
Section 8 program residents. The federal government rates MPHA's
public housing and Section 8/HCV programs both as national "High
Performers" for overall operational performance. The nine-member
board of commissioners is appointed by the mayor and city council
and the Executive Director is Cora McCorvey. For more information,
please visit: http://www.mphaonline.com/. About Honeywell Honeywell
International (http://www.honeywell.com/) is a Fortune 100
diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers
worldwide with aerospace products and services; control
technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive
products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris
Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York,
London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information
on Honeywell, please visit http://www.honeywellnow.com/. Honeywell
Building Solutions is part of the Honeywell Automation and Control
Solutions business group, a global leader in providing product and
service solutions that improve efficiency and profitability,
support regulatory compliance, and maintain safe, comfortable
environments in homes, buildings and industry. For more information
about Building Solutions:
http://www.honeywell.com/buildingsolutions. This release contains
certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact,
that address activities, events or developments that we or our
management intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will
or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Such
statements are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made
by our management in light of their experience and their perception
of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions,
expected future developments and other factors they believe to be
appropriate. The forward-looking statements included in this
release are also subject to a number of material risks and
uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive,
governmental, and technological factors affecting our operations,
markets, products, services and prices. Such forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual
results, developments and business decisions may differ from those
envisaged by such forward-looking statements.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071030/AQTU029LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Honeywell CONTACT: Bob Boyd
of MPHA, +1-612-342-1437, or Aaron Parker of Honeywell,
+1-763-954-4257, Web Site: http://www.mphaonline.com/
http://www.honeywell.com/
Copyright