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Solar Decathlon 2007

Podcasts: Terrence Hawn Discusses Honeywell's Solar Decathlon Sponsorship (Text Version)

Below is the text version of the podcast recorded by Terrence Hawn of Honeywell. Visit the Solar Decathlon Podcasts section to subscribe to the podcast or download individual audio files.

Male Speaker (MS):

This is a special 2007 Solar Decathlon edition of Energy Buzz, the podcast series produced by the Office of Energy Efficiency at the Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. Energy Buzz brings you expert information about renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Terrence Hawn (TH):

Hello, I'm Terrence Hawn, Vice President and General Manager of Honeywell's Flooring Products Business. I am pleased to have the opportunity to tell you about our participation in the Solar Decathlon during this podcast. We at Honeywell are proud to be part of the 2007 competition and support the Solar Decathlon's goal of building and operating the most attractive and energy efficient solar powered home.

This event is aligned with Honeywell's overall mission, which includes building a world that is more comfortable and energy efficient. In fact, we are committed to improving energy efficiency company-wide. We are excited, as the Solar Decathlon is a tremendous platform to demonstrate Honeywell's energy saving technologies. Tens of thousands of members of the public will visit and both national and international media will cover the event.

More than 600 new architects and engineers will be participating on the 20 teams. Students and faculty members from dozens of colleges and universities will be monitoring the event. For Honeywell, the Solar Decathlon also offers us an opportunity to interact with key decision makers and policy makers. These include the United States Congress, the Department of Energy, the National Association of Homebuilders, the American Institute of Architects, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers and the entire green building and construction community.

Honeywell, partially through its One Honeywell solution, is offering ways to save on energy costs. Our automation and control solutions business supplies energy efficient controls and components. My business, flooring products, provides a critical blowing agent known as Honeywell Innovate, for high performance foam insulation and air ceiling in the next generation of net zero energy home designs.

Also, as a supporting sponsor for the Solar Decathlon, Honeywell is providing $3,500 for each school that uses foam insulation with our innovate blowing agent. We are also providing teams with a list of local contractors who can apply the foam on their campus. Our sponsorship also includes providing over 3,000 items of apparel for officials, organizers and students, as well as providing lunch one day for all of the participants.

Regarding our foam insulation, this product is rapidly being adopted to insulate homes, especially walls, basements and attics. To date, more than 50% of the entry homes in this year's Solar Decathlon are using close cell spray foam insulation with our innovate blowing agent technology. It's interesting to note that the last two winners of this international event used this type of foam insulation.

In addition to construction applications, foam insulation has been used in appliances since the 1970s and is increasingly used by appliance manufacturers to meet today's energy star program criteria. Other novel applications include solar water heaters in China and hurricane resistant roofing for commercial buildings, like the Louisiana Superdome. Spray foam insulation is also good for the environment. Increased energy savings help reduce CO2 emissions and blowing agents from Honeywell have zero potential for ozone depletion.

As demand for energy continues to rise, Honeywell is committed to helping homeowners and builders alike to maximize energy efficiency and reduce heating and cooling costs. We wish all participating schools the best of luck in the 2007 Solar Decathlon. Thank you for listening to our podcast.

MS:

This has been a special edition of Energy Buzz. To learn more about the Solar Decathlon, go to www.solardecathlon.org. For more about the world of energy efficiency and renewable energy, log on to the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency at Renewable Energy website, at www.eere.energy.gov. Thanks for listening.

END SHOW