07/21/2026
The International District Energy Association (IDEA) has named Johnson Controls the recipient of the 2026 Joseph M. Brillhart Innovation Award for its work on the University of Windsor’s hybrid steam-electric chiller project. The project is expected to deliver 82% of the university’s 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target, reduce grid electricity demand by approximately 60% during Ontario’s peak demand periods and generate significant cost savings by leveraging recovered steam instead of grid electricity.
The winning submission, “Pioneering Campus Decarbonization: Advancing Hybrid Steam-Electric Innovation at the University of Windsor,” highlighted how Johnson Controls helped the University of Windsor become the first higher education institution in Canada to implement a dual-drive hybrid steam-electric turbine chiller. The project transforms the campus’s waste heat into self-generated power, enabling the university to reduce electric grid demand during costly peak periods while advancing its long-term sustainability goals.
“The 2026 Innovation Award competition entries represented a variety of new products, software and operational ideas, some of which have not been seen before in district energy applications,” said Robert Smith, Vice President, RMF Engineering. “Johnson Controls and University of Windsor blended two types of machinery to offer unique operational flexibility in solving energy and environmental challenges.”
Prior to the project, the university’s Energy Conversion Centre (ECC) accounted for approximately 40% of campus energy needs and its legacy boiler-steam system was responsible for roughly 88% of total campus emissions. Johnson Controls replaced an aging gas-fired boiler in the ECC with a 1,200 ton YORK® YST Steam Turbine Centrifugal Chiller paired with a 24,000 lbs/hour heat recovery steam generator, allowing the plant to capture exhaust steam and redirect it as a thermal energy source during peak demand events.
The University of Windsor is classified as a Class A electricity customer in Ontario, meaning its Global Adjustment (GA) electricity costs are tied directly to its share of the province’s top five peak demand hours each year. By operating the hybrid chiller on recovered steam during those hours (accounting for an estimated 140 hours annually), the university can reduce its grid electrical demand by approximately 60% during peak events. Each megawatt of demand avoided translates to as much as $300,000-$400,000 per year in avoided GA costs. The project is also projected to deliver 82% of the university’s 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target and received $200,000 in incentives through the Enbridge Gas Energy Efficiency Program.
“On behalf of everyone at Johnson Controls, we're honored to receive this recognition from IDEA. This project was made possible through a true partnership with the University of Windsor and what we accomplished together goes well beyond optimizing campus efficiency,” said James Rosner, Principal Advisor – Higher Education (North America), Johnson Controls. “We fundamentally changed the way the university uses energy, turning a legacy system into one advancing both its decarbonization goals and its long-term financial resilience. We're grateful to IDEA and proud of what this team built.”
“The University of Windsor project is exactly the kind of work the Innovation Award was created to recognize,” said Rob Thornton, President and CEO, IDEA. “Johnson Controls found a way to leverage and modernize an existing campus district energy system into a more strategic asset. The result is a campus that is cleaner, more resilient and better positioned financially. This is a model other institutions across North America should be watching closely.”
The installation itself required significant ingenuity. The ECC’s utility tunnel imposed tight load constraints, requiring the 1,200 ton chiller to be assembled piece-by-piece on-site and moved into place. The drives were arranged in-line rather than in parallel to fit within the existing footprint. The plant’s location directly adjacent to the Ambassador Bridge, one of the busiest border crossings between the United States and Canada, required coordination with the Canada Border Services Agency for crane operations.
Now in its 14th year, the Innovation Award recognizes IDEA members who demonstrate emerging best practices, applied technology and the value of industry collaboration. The award is named in honor of Joseph M. Brillhart, a former IDEA Board Chair and long-time Johnson Controls employee, who passed away in 2023.
About Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls, a global leader in thermal management, mission-critical building systems, energy efficiency and decarbonization, helps customers use energy more productively, reduce carbon emissions and operate with the precision and resilience required in rapidly expanding industries such as data centers, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing and higher education. For more than 140 years, the company has delivered performance where it really matters. Backed by advanced technology, lifecycle services and an industry-leading field organization, it elevates customer performance, turns goals into real-world results and helps move society forward. For more information, visit https://www.johnsoncontrols.com.
