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Eglin facilities earning Gold in energy savings

  • Published
  • By Mike Spaits
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Whether it's excellence in what they do, or innovation in industry, Eglin's workforce is always in the lead.

That reputation has been reinforced with several new energy efficient buildings earning the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold Certification.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance 'green' buildings, homes and neighborhoods.

LEED is intended to provide building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

In all, Eglin's civil engineers have ushered almost 15 new buildings to LEED certification, including the Duke Field fitness field house and two 33rd Fighter Wing hangars, which all achieved the second highest energy efficiency rating - Gold.

"We've been successful in helping the building's owners find ways to make their facilities more energy efficient and environmentally sound," said Eugene Moorer, 96th Civil Engineer Group team engineering supervisor.

"Some of the unique features in these buildings include energy efficient air conditioning and heating systems, soy foam insulation, and low flow plumbing receptacles," said Moorer.

Even adding bus stops, bike racks and parking spots for energy efficient or hybrid cars can count towards LEED certification said Verna James, 96th CEG architect.
"Driving environmental awareness and responsibility is all part of the Air Force's sustainable design and development guidance," said James. "The foundational goal for green building is transforming the built environment. LEED addresses buildings, infrastructure, and even human health in its focus," she said.

Currently, Eglin has 41 projects registered as LEED. Of those 41, seven are completed with two meeting the LEED Gold standard, and five meeting the LEED Silver standard. The remaining projects have yet to be completed and will be assessed at the time of completion to determine if they qualify for either LEED Silver or Gold.

"We need to incorporate the concepts of sustainability into our new buildings," said Col. Sal Nodjomian, 96th Air Base Wing commander. "We must divest of our old, inefficient buildings that are massive energy consumers and continue to be good stewards of the environment."

Since its inception in 1998, the U.S. Green Building Council has grown to encompass more than 7,000 projects in the United States and 30 countries covering over 1.5 billion square feet of development area. The hallmark of LEED is it is an open and transparent process where the technical criteria proposed by USGBC members are publicly reviewed for approval by the almost 20,000 member organizations that currently constitute the U.S. Green Building Council.