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Energy Action Month begins

By Senior Airman Marcy Copeland, 460th Space Wing Public Affairs / Published October 01, 2013

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BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Buckley's Energy Action Month kicks off at the beginning of each October to raise energy conservation awareness and achieve a reduction in facility energy use.

In 2012, the Air Force met or exceeded four major goals: reduce energy intensity by 21.2 percent; reduce potable water intensity by 18.1 percent; reduce non-potable industrial, landscaping and agricultural water consumption by 4.6 percent; and ensure renewable electricity accounted for 5.5 percent of electricity consumed.

Energy Action Month is a time to think about how energy consumption impacts our lives, our mission and at home. In April, an energy policy was implemented by Air Force Space Command to minimize the base's $8 million electricity usage, removing things like small personal office appliances and cell phone chargers.

"AFSPC has continued this trend by replacing high pressure sodium light bulbs on the street and parking lot lights-the ones with the familiar orange glow-with high-efficiency-light-emitting-diode lighting on Buckley Air Force Base," stated Kenneth Webb, 460th Civil Engineer Squadron energy manager. "This move will save Buckley AFB over $31,000 annually, decrease the manpower needed to replace lights due to the longer lifespan of LEDs, and provide better quality lighting for those operating after hours on the installation."

The Air Force is always looking for new energy conservation ideas and solutions. Conservation efforts could be monumental if every Airman remembers to shut off a computer monitor or flip off office lights at the end of the work day. Just being aware of the differences between an LED light bulb and an incandescent light bulb used in an office or dorm room could save more than $300 in purchase and replacement costs during the lifespan of a bulb.

LED light bulbs, solar panels, electric cars and bio-fuels are some of the operational renewable energy projects the Air Force has been implementing since 2012. These projects are in place to reduce costs and to push for more improvements toward green power.

"If we had our own renewable energy and sustainable energy source per base, that would essentially free up the Air Force from depending on the local area for power," said Airman 1st Class Gregory Coyle, 460th Space Communication Squadron network infrastructure technician. "It would be cleaner and our equipment would not take any power hits. Our equipment would have greater up-time, and we would have greater efficiency at being able to do our job."

Energy Action Month provides an opportunity for Airmen to learn about the impact energy conservation and neglect can have on the Air Force and its mission.

For more information, visit http://www.safie.hq.af.mil/energy/ or http://energy.gov/.


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