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Award-winning energy conservation strategy keeps the lights on

  • Published
  • By Benjamin Newell
  • AFDW PA
AIR FORCE DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON --  Two Air Force District of Washington wings have implemented initiatives to reduce and conserve energy that have saved millions of dollars. Through conservation and infrastructure improvements, Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland and Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C, lead the Department of Defense in conservation efforts. 

This year, Andrews received national recognition for its energy conservation results. Slashing electricity consumption by 38 percent and choking water flow down by 52 percent reduced the carbon footprint of the base and led to massive savings. 

"With common sense actions, like decentralizing the boiler system and keeping track of air flow and lighting efficiencies, our base has gone a long way towards actually achieving energy equity in a market that is volatile and unpredictable," said George Lopez, heating and air conditioning specialist for the 316th Civil Engineering Squadron. "A look at the books confirms this; our bill is as flat as the tarmac." 

Mr. Lopez, who has led many efforts to modernize energy consumption on Andrews, estimates that the energy savings on the base during the past eight years total more than 855,000 MBTU's (million British Thermal Units), or the equivalent of yearly power consumption for 214 homes. Similarly, Bolling is two percent ahead of government mandates for 2010. 

Those savings have garnered awards for AFDW and Andrews. At the 2009 GovEnergy tradeshow and conference, Andrews was one of three bases to receive the Air Force Reduced Energy Appreciation Program Award for its achievement of the greatest energy reduction from the previous year. 

Aisha Robins, AFDW Energy Operations Branch chief, is putting together this year's AFDW Energy Awareness Month, taking place throughout the month of October. AFDW's campaign to promote conservation will be part of a federal campaign designed to make it clear that every organization, every office, and every employee has a role in saving energy. 

The Air Force is the largest single consumer of energy in the federal government. Approximately 12 percent of Air Force energy consumption occurs in its facilities and installations, while the remaining 85 percent can be chalked up to aviation fuel. Any changes made to Air Force energy consumption are felt by the entire federal budget. 

"The money we save on utility bills can be spent on other improvements on the base," said Mrs. Robins. "We're only looking at projects whose savings exceed the investment estimate over less than 10 years. It is essentially making money for the base - by the millions." 

Over the past few years, efficiency improvements have held the total annual power bill at Andrews to $15 million - despite rapidly increasing prices and market shifts. Had energy consumption continued without a series of steps to run buildings cleaner, the bill would top out at $21 million, a savings of more than $5 million this year alone. 

"We plan to continue these efforts," said Ms. Robins. "So far we've picked the low-hanging fruit in energy conservation measures. What we're seeing, though, is there are many additional improvements the base can make to increase savings. We'd like to win the Reduced Energy Appreciation Program Award again next year!"