47th OSS wins “Sweat for Power” competition

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Christian Ocasio
  • 47th Civil Engineer Squadron
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The 47th OSS blew away the competition to become the top power producer in Laughlin's first "Sweat for Power" competition producing 900 watt-hours, which is enough to power a ceiling fan for four and a half hours.

The competition was one of the many activities the 47th Civil Engineer Squadron sponsored as part of Laughlin's 2012 Energy Action Month and this event was designed to help promote culture change, one of the three pillars upon which the Air Force Energy Plan is built.

During the event, each squadron had 24 hours to produce as much power as possible on five retrofitted elliptical machines at the Losano Fitness Center.

"We were looking for a fun way for people to make power. ReRev is a unique system that is available only at a handful of Air Force Bases," said David Morin, 47th CES energy manager. "Not only do you get a work out, you can help power the fitness center."

Second place went to 47th Contracting Flight who amped up 500 watt-hours during the competition. Third place was a four-way tie between 47th CES, 47th Security Forces Squadron, 47th Logistics Readiness Division and 47th Wing Staff Agencies with each generating 400 watt-hours of energy. In total, the participants added 4.8 Kilowatt-hours to the power grid, enough to power a desktop through the month of February.

"Each unit produced a considerable amount of energy, and the fact, that for all their hard work, only a single computer can be powered by it should remind all of us of the need to be conscious of how much energy we use each day," said Lt. Col. Lori Kabel, 47th CES commander.

Changing the Air Force culture is critical to achieving the Air Force's energy vision. As the culture changes, and the Air Force increases its energy awareness, new ideas and methodologies for operating more efficiently will emerge as airmen consider energy in their day-to-day duties.

"It is truly one team-one fight when it comes to energy efficiency," said Eric Guess, 47th CES resource efficiency manager. "Engineers can put in place energy-efficient systems and equipment, but a lot can be achieved by modifying the users' behavior alone. Turning the lights off when stepping out of the office will save more than having an efficient light bulb. This is what changing culture is all about."