Minneapolis, January 25, 2012 — Honeywell announced a smart grid project that will help SSE plc connect up to 30 commercial and industrial buildings in the Thames Valley area west of London, and temporarily reduce electricity consumption when overall use spikes.

This will help alleviate the potential for future transmission and distribution bottlenecks as the peak demand for energy grows. It will also enable building operators to decrease their energy use, utility bills and carbon dioxide emissions.

As part of the 30-million pounds Sterling New Thames Valley Vision project recently awarded to Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution by U.K. energy regulator Ofgem, Honeywell will install automated demand response (Auto DR) technology in the selected facilities.

The utility will then work with these customers to trim peak electricity use, and reduce strain on the local networks and substations, which are nearing capacity — creating a more robust, agile grid without the disruption and expense which sometimes accompany major infrastructure upgrades.

The project builds on a successful Auto DR demonstration in Bracknell, England, where Honeywell proved that a commercial building could quickly shed up to 45 percent of its electrical load during peak hours. The result of the pilot prompted SSE to expand the use of the technology. Honeywell expects the full-scale project will give the utility the ability to shave about 10 MW of energy use when necessary.

Honeywell will use several technologies in its portfolio, including offerings from Honeywell's Akuacom and Tridium businesses, to connect SSE with buildings on the utility's low-voltage Bracknell network.