Honeywell Improve Energy Utilization and Water Use at Kunsan Air Base

According to a recent announcement, Honeywell will embark upon a $28 million infrastructure modernization project with Kunsan Air Base, a U.S. Base in South Korea. The project includes facility upgrades that aim to help improve infrastructure and equipment reliability while lowering the base’s annual energy consumption by more than 18 percent and water consumption by over 7 percent. The project reportedly is expected to generate approximately $1.7 million in annual energy savings.

The project will be funded by a 25-year energy savings performance contract awarded to Honeywell by Kunsan AB, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center and Defense Logistics Agency-Energy. The contract enables the funding of the upgrades with annual energy and operational savings resulting from the project work. Honeywell guarantees the savings, eliminating the need for upfront capital investment and making it a self-funding project over the contract term.

Kunsan AB, located south of Seoul on the Yellow Sea, is home to 2,800 U.S. Air Force members, Army soldiers, U.S. civilians, and local national employees. Kunsan AB has approximately 630 buildings comprising a total area of 4.1 million square feet. The project work, which includes installing newer and more reliable equipment, and modernizing temperature, humidity and lighting controls, will help Kunsan AB meet the strategic energy goals of the U.S. Air Force that include improving base resiliency and optimizing energy efficiency.

As part of the project, Honeywell will help upgrade building controls and centralize management through Honeywell’s Enterprise Buildings Integrator (EBI), an integrated platform that ties together building systems for centralized monitoring and control. EBI will help enhance mission readiness and resiliency at the base by delivering a single point of control and enabling real-time decision making. EBI will also provide insights to help operators more quickly identify operational issues, and it will also help optimize energy demand and efficiency by providing equipment scheduling capabilities.

Other key project upgrades include:

• HVAC: Retro-commissioning of existing equipment in seven dormitories and an upgrade of controls in 14 buildings.
• Lighting Improvements: Installation of LED lighting upgrades, including wireless controls.
• Building Envelope: Improved building air sealing and infiltration reduction by eliminating gaps, cracks and holes.
• Water Conservation: Retrofit of existing sink fixtures with flow control devices, flushometer recommissioning and upgrades, and tank toilet improvements for domestic water use.

“The changes and updates we’re able to provide Kunsan aim to not only improve its mission readiness, but help to improve the quality of life and work environment for the brave men and women on the base,” said John Rajchert, president, Honeywell Building Solutions. “The upgraded solutions and better visibility into building level energy usage will help Kunsan greatly improve its environmental impact and fuel usage, helping it to be more energy resilient in its remote location.”

The project is expected to reduce Kunsan AB’s annual energy consumption by more than 14 million kilowatt-hours, which is enough energy to power approximately 1,159 homes for a year. Honeywell and Kunsan AB said they expect to complete the project in November 2020.

Honeywell has successfully executed similar projects at a variety of Department of Defense industrial sites in addition to Kunsan AB, including Tinker Air Force Base, Letterkenny Army Depot, Tobyhanna Army Depot and Rock Island Arsenal, among other sites.