Helping Communities Save Money

With ingenious solutions, Johnson Controls is helping overhaul municipalities and businesses to vastly improve energy efficiency

If any one theme might define Johnson Controls, making the most of available energy might be at the top of the list.

Two communities in the United States can certainly attest to that description and demonstrate the cost savings that the company can bring to people and places around the world.

Johnson Controls recently completed major energy-related projects in Tucson, Arizona, and East Hartford, Connecticut.

In Tucson, the company wrapped up installation of a solar photovoltaic power system at the U.S. Penitentiary and Federal Prison Camp. The overall system is an 18-stall parking structure that also provides shade for vehicles on-site (a real plus in the Arizona desert.)

The solar power network has 72 photovoltaic modules, rated at 170 watts each, as well as three solar inverters, and will generate 20,351 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, offsetting more than 28,491 pounds of carbon dioxide, according to Bill Guiney, Johnson Controls solar program manager. That is the equivalent to preventing emissions from the combustion of nearly 1,500 gallons of gasoline.

Half a Million Dollars a Year

In East Hartford, Johnson Controls worked with both the town and the local school system to implement a variety of energy-efficiency steps over 18 months. The project included upgrading 18 school and town buildings.

Using performance contracting, the initiative is self-funding and guaranteed to save the town more than $500,000 each and every year for the next 12 years. Additionally, the Town of East Hartford is set to receive more than $700,000 in incentives from Connecticut Light & Power as part of the project.

But the benefits don’t end there. The project will also have a positive impact on the environment, with an energy savings equivalent to powering 401 homes. Additionally, the greenhouse gas emissions reduction equates to removing 677 cars from the roads or planting 943 acres of trees.

Not just something available to people in the United States, this technology can be used by organizations throughout the world.