Honeywell has been awarded an $11.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the largest single energy-grid modernization investment in U.S. history.

 

The grant is one of several awarded from a smart-grid funding package under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

 

“Honeywell (News - Alert) has long been supportive of investing in our country’s energy independence and these grants are essential to that end,” said Roger Fradin, president and CEO of Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions, in a statement.

 

However, Fradin said, the hard part comes next, with rebuilding the energy infrastructure.

 

He said that Honeywell has the project management experience to help utilities successfully deploy its programs and forge a tighter link with customers.

 

“And we have the technology to help homeowners and businesses take control of their energy use and maximize the benefits of a smart grid,” Fradin said.

 

Company officials said that Honeywell, which is one of only four non-utility companies to receive funding, will use the grant to support a critical peak-pricing response program that will help commercial and industrial facilities in the Southern California Edison (News - Alert) (SCE) service territory automatically implement energy management strategies to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

 

According to company officials, the program will help nearly 700 customers as SCE and other California utilities move to critical peak pricing, a program that offers rate discounts during the summer months to customers who can reduce or shift power during periods of peak electrical consumption.

 

In addition to installing the technology, Honeywell will provide customer outreach, education and engineering services, as well as ongoing support.

 

“Honeywell’s program integrates business customers with a smarter grid,” said Larry Oliva, director, tariff programs and services, Southern California Edison. Oliva said that the company’s customers will have the ability to decide how they want to respond to pricing changes, and the subsequent reduction in energy use will help to provide affordable, clean power over the long term.

 

Company officials said that Honeywell is also helping other organizations implement projects tied to the smart grid investment grants, including an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) program for the city of Quincy, Fla. Honeywell will manage the installation of smart meters throughout the city and provide technology to automate commercial load-shedding strategies, similar to the SCE program.