Honeywell gets smart grid grant

Honeywell, Minneapolis, announced that it has been awarded an $11.4-million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the federal government’s effort to rebuild the nation’s energy grid. The grant, one of several awarded from a smart grid funding package under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will support a peak pricing response program for commercial and industrial facilities in the Southern California Edison (SCE) service territory, helping them automatically implement energy management strategies to reduce costs and improve efficiency. The program will support 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. Honeywell will install technology that allows customers to automate load-shedding strategies that reduce energy use during peak periods.