Energy Improvements Coming To Hudson County Jail, Meadowview

HOBOKEN, NJ — A recently launched project between Hudson County and Honeywell will be a win for the environment and local taxpayers, the company says.

Earlier this month, Honeywell announced that it’s partnering with the county to make “critical” energy improvements at more than 20 buildings at the Hudson County Correctional Center and Meadowview Campus, including the psychiatric hospital and juvenile detention center.

Those improvements include efficiency measures such as building automation and lighting upgrades. In addition, a 1.3 megawatt photovoltaic solar power system will also be installed across both facilitates as part of the program, with a combination of roof-mounted and parking lot canopy-mounted solar arrays.

The overall improvements are expected to reduce annual energy use by about 30 percent, dropping electricity consumption by about 4.05 million kilowatt-hours and 4,623 kW, while reducing carbon dioxide and related emissions by more than 104 metric tons per year, company spokespeople said.

According to Honeywell, the county will fund the work through a $28 million Energy Savings Improvement Program (ESIP). The company will guarantee some energy savings related to the use of electricity, water and other utilities, as well as operating expense savings over the course of the 20-year program.

The estimated energy and operational savings are expected to reach about $1.7 million annually, the company stated.

Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise called the project a “win-win” for the county.

“Every organization wants to be more energy-efficient these days,” DeGise said. “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.”

“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.”

HUDSON COUNTY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

According to Honeywell:

“At the Hudson County Correctional Center, Honeywell will install a system to monitor and control water consumption throughout the facility, specifically to curtail overuse in individual cells, which includes more than 800 water fixtures. The improvements are expected to save approximately 19,170 kilogallons of water at the correctional facility each year. The center will also receive new boilers and a backup generator, an extensive lighting retrofit and building automation controls.”

MEADOWVIEW CAMPUS

According to Honeywell:

“The phased work at the Meadowview Campus includes significant work on the equipment that provides heating and hot water. The campus is currently served by a central plant, which feeds these utilities to every building; however, the plant and piping are aging and in need of continual repair. The county will decommission the plant, and Honeywell will install boilers and water heaters in each building. The decentralized architecture provides an added layer of protection in the event of power outages or inclement weather. It also gives the county flexibility to explore microgrid and distributed energy technologies to further increase resiliency.”

Additional work at the Meadowview Campus, including the psychiatric hospital and juvenile detention center, will include:

• Installation of a “Honeywell Enterprise Buildings Integrator” to provide a more unified view and control of all buildings, not only on this campus, but at multiple buildings throughout the county
• Replacing and refurbishing chillers to improve the cooling of facilities
• Replacing lights with LEDs to boost efficiency, visibility and safety
• Replacing the split system central air conditioner and roof top unit heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment
• Improving the building envelope weatherization to help reduce the loss of conditioned air

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