A greener frontier advancing energy efficiency solutions

Gabriel Mozzarelli of Honeywell

Lower greenhouse emissions, energy efficiency – Honeywell is addressing some of the world’s most pressing environmental and building management challenges. Together, the Fortune 100 company and its finance solutions partner DLL are advancing the implementation of energy efficiency measures through a creative approach to financing.

Global leader in energy efficiency and clean energy generation
“I truly believe that offering a technical solution wherein the financing mechanism is fully integrated and “built-in” is a key sales enabler,” says Gabriel Mozzarelli, Honeywell’s Finance Leader for Europe & North Africa. “It gives us a competitive advantage.”
 
“Honeywell has the unique technical expertise to enable our customers to benefit from energy savings, and DLL takes these energy savings into account when assessing new opportunities,” adds Mozzarelli. “DLL is unique in this respect and plays a critical role in assessing a financing mechanism which will positively impact a customer’s cash flow.”

Expanding horizons
Mozzarelli: “Our technology solutions include a lot of soft costs such as installation and integration. Honeywell needed a partner who understood the nature of our projects and was comfortable financing all of the up-front costs. DLL’s Clean Technology business unit had such experience and was up to the challenge.”  

According to Bruce Trachtenberg, DLL’s VP & General Manager of Clean Technology, “both DLL and Honeywell share a strong belief in the power of energy efficiency to preserve the environment. It’s about helping Honeywell’s clients install energy-efficient equipment,” he says. “And our shared belief in preserving the environment adds another dimension to our business relationship and inspires us to seek alternative ways to finance these types of projects.”  

Out-of-the-box solutions
One such example was completed in 2015 and involved multiple energy efficiency upgrades to a number of nursing homes in Europe. The project required a blank canvas approach – starting with an understanding of the customer’s technical and financial objectives. Once completed, the results were immediate: the customer’s investment in greener technology was offset by lower energy costs, meaning it had no impact on the customer’s cash flow.

“DLL showed a lot of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking to find a solution that suited all parties – our customer, Honeywell and themselves,” says Mozzarelli. “They also managed to provide the required balance-sheet solution the customer was looking for, which is uncommon for a project of this nature.”

The nursing home project has created a lot of enthusiasm within Honeywell, because it proves that finance solutions can play a major role in landing new business. In fact, Honeywell was awarded the project in part because it offered a solution where the financing was “built-in”.

Increasing momentum
Since the nursing home project, Honeywell has worked with DLL on a number of other types of projects. Financing is becoming better understood and top of mind early in the sales process, and Honeywell is actively seeking out new projects to work on with DLL.

“Their responsiveness, global coverage and commitment, that’s what I value in DLL,” adds Mozzarelli. “Financing is strategically important for our company. The only way it can succeed is if you have a committed partner able to make it work. We’re winning more business because of it.”