Energy efficiency plays key role on Elmendorf

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Laura Turner
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The rising cost of utility bills is affecting homes throughout the state of Alaska. Imagine the effect of energy costs on a base the size of Elmendorf. With the current price of fuel and natural gas, energy efficiency becomes a key factor for the Air Force in saving money. 

"Elmendorf was the leading base in the Air Force in 2006 for saving energy and is now the leading base in Pacific Air Forces," says Chris Wright, PACAF Energy Manager. 

Several different energy efficiency technologies around the base help contribute. The main source is the strategy of the base-wide decentralized heating system. 

In September 2005, Elmendorf utilized the largest Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) task order in Air Force history, which was financed at more than $48 million. 

The ESPC decentralized system replaced the 1950s-vintage Central Heat and Power Plant which for 50 years provided the base both heat and electricity. The power plant fed a steam distribution system, which involved more than 50 miles of piping to heat the majority of the base. Occasionally underground pipes would burst and leaking pipes became a problem. Almost none of the circulating water was returning to the plant, resulting in a loss of 70 million gallons of treated water per year. An estimated $100 million would have been needed to replace the steam distribution system, which was too expensive for consideration. 

The first year of operating the ESPC exceeded expectations, with independently-verified energy savings of 2.12 trillion British Thermal Units in 2006. A BTU is the quantity of heat required to raise 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. 

The end result for this project was a decreased utility bill for Elmendorf of $2.42 million the year after project implementation. During that same period natural gas prices were raised 56 percent, which made the total cost avoidance $10 million. The ESPC also resulted in a 2 percent cut from the total energy consumption of the entire Air Force. 

Utility bills showed that in the 2005 fiscal year nearly 3.5 million MCF of natural gas were used to heat the base. MCF stands for one thousand cubic feet. In the 2006 fiscal year only 819,749 MCF of natural gas were used. More than 2.5 million MCF of natural gas were saved by switching to the decentralized system, awarding Elmendorf the Federal Energy and Water Management Award for 2006. 

Another energy efficiency measure on Elmendorf includes new and improved lighting. One priority is to continue lighting retrofit projects which often include replacing High Pressure Sodium lights with more advanced lighting. Francis Sheridan, the Resource Efficiency Manager for Elmendorf, said he would like to start experimenting with Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting. LEDs are about four times more efficient than conventional incandescent lights and more environmentally friendly than compact fluorescent bulbs. The LEDs are expected to be far longer lasting than conventional lighting, lasting as long as 15 years before burning out. 

"In certain applications LEDs pay for themselves due to reduced energy and maintenance costs," said Mr. Sheridan. 

The latest energy efficiency technology that will be installed in a few months' time is a transpired solar collector. Fort Drum, New York, just completed one of the largest and most extensive transpired solar collector programs in the world by installing SolarWall in 27 of their vehicle maintenance buildings. The SolarWall air heating system is a custom engineered solution which uses a minimum number of components. It uses solar energy to heat and ventilate indoor spaces in new applications and optimizes maximum energy delivery with a minimum amount of static pressure in the airflow. Mr. Sheridan said it will heat the air coming into the building from outside by about 10 degrees, cutting back on heating and energy cost. 

The SolarWall panel will be installed at the Logistics Readiness Squadron Light Vehicle Facility (6211). This will be the first SolarWall to go up in PACAF. 

Squadrons throughout the 3rd Wing are helping to conserve energy. Different ways that your squadron or unit can help are by setting an office plan on when lights should be turned off. You can keep restrictions on how much water should be used during the duty day. 

"With support from PACAF, we are currently in the works on finding a way to keep from leaving our computers on all night after leaving the office," said Mr. Sheridan, "The percentage of wasted energy this causes is higher than most people think." 

New ideas arise every day on how we can be more energy-efficient during these times of high fuel cost. Listed below are a few ways that you can help, both at home and in the office. 


How you can save money on energy:
· Turn your thermostat down or install a programmable thermostat
· Turn off heat in rooms you hardly use
· Turn off lights in areas where you aren't
· Set the energy-saving feature for your computer and peripherals
· Install compact fluorescent lights in heavily used light fixtures
· Take shorter showers
· Use cold water for your laundry
· Set your hot water heater to 120 Fahrenheit
· Use energy-saving cycle on dishwasher and washing machine and only wash full loads
· Use the oven sparingly; use microwave when you can, as it uses less electricity
· Look for the Energy Star label when purchasing home appliances and products
· Add insulation to the attic and crawlspace or basement walls
· Get your heating system tuned up for better efficiency and safety
· At home, plug computers and electronics into a power strip. Turn off the power strip to cut power to those devices which may be drawing electricity even when they are "turned off", sometimes called "vampire loads" 

(Tips courtesy of http://www.gov.state.ak.us/pdf/ConservationInsert-FINAL.pdf)