Help make Eglin an energy conservation leader

  • Published
  • By Col. Dennis Yates
  • Commander, 96th Civil Engineer Group
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Team Eglin, October is Energy Awareness Month. With your help, I believe we can make Eglin Air Force Base a leader in energy conservation not only for the month of October, but for years to come. This year's theme for Energy Awareness Month is "Secure Today's Energy, Fuel Tomorrow's Mission." The Air Force's energy strategy is to "Reduce Demand, Increase Supply and Change the Culture." Our goal is to reduce Eglin's power consumption by five percent from last October.

This is a goal I believe we can achieve; however, it's going to take all levels of the Eglin workforce to accomplish. Elements of the game plan to reach this goal can be found in AAC Instruction 32-1003, ENERGY CONSERVATION AND COST REDUCTION and can be found at https://afkm.wpafb.af.mil/ASPs/CoP/openCoP.asp?Filter=OO-OT-AA-C1 under "AAC Publications" (32 series). Information contained within this document equips unit commanders and facility managers with ways to ensure we all do our part in energy conservation.

We've already instituted some initiatives to become better energy stewards, such as the installation of lighting retrofits and more efficient energy control systems in many facilities. We've also carried the message of being better energy stewards to the doorsteps of military family housing residents by distributing two energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs to every house on Eglin. We also encouraged all residents to swap out other bulbs in their homes with energy efficient bulbs.

But it doesn't stop there. I've directed our Energy team to discover other projects and ways to conserve energy on Eglin and to share those success stories with you. Several of these projects will start to take effect in October. Throughout the month we'll be passing energy saving tips to the base populace through the Eglin Official Bulletin, base newspapers and the Eglin public website.

Don't wait - there are things you can do today to become better energy stewards at home. Whether you live on or off base, the benefits extend beyond the gates of Eglin. The Department of Energy's website has excellent tips you can apply to your residence: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/services/energy_aware_hec.html

Do your part to help Eglin become a leader in energy conservation.

Editor's note: For more information on energy conservation, please contact Alan Mardis, Eglin Energy Manager, at 883-4809.