Fairchild makes additional energy conservation efforts Published Oct. 10, 2007 By Tech. Sgt. Larry W. Carpenter Jr. 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Fairchild continues its battle against increasing energy prices by establishing more energy-conserving methods for getting the mission done. In a 2006 letter to Airmen, Honorable Michael W. Wynne, Secretary of the Air Force, asked every Airman to make energy use a priority and bring forth ideas on how we can be more efficient in its use. "Your efforts in making energy conservation a part of your day-to-day activities will benefit our entire Air Force, and free up precious dollars for other critical programs," said Secretary Wynne. With that in mind, Fairchild continuously seeks opportunities to use energy more efficiently. The 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron currently has an energy-saving performance contract pending. The proposed project includes building controls on the base's water system and installing more insulation in some facilities. "This project should save about $353 thousand dollars a year in energy ... so it's a big project," said Bill Turner, 92nd CES base energy manager and mechanical engineer. Fairchild's overall objective is to have a strong infrastructure that is up-to-date, operates efficiently and serves customers well. The base also strives to comply with the mandates of Executive Order 13423, signed by President George W. Bush, which requires a three-percent reduction per year on energy use until 2015, relative to a 2003 baseline. "2006 was the first year we had to meet the three percent, and we did so easily," said Mr. Turner. "For fiscal year 07, the goal was six percent. We're thinking that we'll be around 8.7 percent, but we don't have all the figures in yet." Mr. Turner feels the more modern the infrastructure, the easier to match people's needs, allowing them to focus on the mission at hand. "Obviously, if the people aren't comfortable, then the productivity loss is going to be greater than the energy savings," said Mr. Turner. For their efforts in energy conservation, the 92nd CES earned the 2007 Federal Energy and Water Management Award. "The FEWMA is an installation award, not an individual award," said David Luders, 92nd CES civil engineer, maintenance engineering element. "The efforts of the 92nd utilities shop personnel, plus those of Jay Logan and me, resulted in significant water saving for the base." Some projects base civil engineers completed to earn the FEWMA award resulted in an annual savings of 261,965 gallons of water a year, with a monetary savings of $170,277 per year. Other base projects saved a significant amount of money -- getting rid of the old steam plant had a first-year savings of $2.1 million. Through the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century program, the CES also developed several initiatives to assist in Fairchild energy conservation. "It's actually the AFSO 21 emphasis that came up with the money for the energy management and control system upgrades for some buildings on the survival side, as well as purchasing a combustion analyzer to check the boilers on base." Another sustainment initiative developed through AFSO21 was the idea of metering. Natural gas, electric, and water meters will be placed on individual buildings and meter readings taken at a central location. "Bringing the readings into a central location would eliminate the expense of having to have someone go out and read meters by hand," said Mr. Turner. Mr. Turner also feels that there are simple things that everyone can do to help out. "If people through the course of their day do simple things, such as not leaving doors open and turning lights off when they're not in use, it could save a lot of money," said Mr. Turner.