Are You Aware?

  • Published
  • By David Morin
  • 47th Civil Engineering Squadron energy manager
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Laughlin uses approximately 42,000 megawatt-hours of energy for facility operations per year at a cost of $3.5 million. We spend over $350,000 per month on electricity during the summer.

October is Energy Awareness Month and recently, we have rediscovered the need to conserve energy.

In 2007, Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act. This act was developed to reduce our vulnerability from dependence on energy imports and set standards for energy efficiency.

Energy comes in various forms such as gasoline, electricity and natural gas.

Energy conservation is important for several reasons. Traditional sources of energy are decreasing. Without power, we cannot be a world power. Countries such as China and India are rapidly gaining an appetite for energy as their middle classes develop.

In 2007, President Bush signed an Executive Order directing the Department of Defense to reduce energy consumption by 3 percent each year. President Obama reaffirmed this order in 2009.

This is no easy task and there is no magic wand that can be waved to do it for us.

To meet these goals, three things must happen. We must obtain more efficient equipment, reduce consumption and produce more energy on site.

The 47th Civil Engineering Squadron has developed several projects for this fiscal year to install more energy efficient heating and cooling equipment, better insulate older buildings, decrease the energy loss through windows and improve the thermostat controls in buildings throughout the base. We hope to eventually meet all of our energy needs through an on-base renewable source.

Even efficient equipment must be used smartly to reduce energy consumption.

As an example, MacKenzie Winge, 47th Medical Support Squadron, noticed that some building occupants needed space heaters during the summer because the temperature was too cold in certain areas. She was able to coordinate with maintenance personnel to properly balance the heating ventilation and air conditioning system and eliminated the need for space heating.

Jessica Flores, 47th Maintenance Directorate, has been able to turn off certain sections of shop lights at times of the day when natural lighting is provided through open bay doors or shifts are not manning the area.

These are examples of whole facility impacts, but many small level changes can result in similar reductions. Here are some things you can do to save energy:

-Turn off the lights when you see an empty room.

-When you walk away from your computer, turn off the monitor and task lighting. This saves power and helps reduce the amount of heat which the air conditioning system must remove.

-The last person out of the building should spot check to see that lights are off.

-If you share a printer, the last person in the area should turn it off.

Do your part. Every dollar you save the DoD in energy can go to recapitalize our aging fleet or support our deployed warriors and their families.