On-base headquarters units have ‘jiggawatts’, energy savings in mind

Published July 30, 2012
By Brandice J. O'Brien
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Great Scott! Had Dr. Emmett Brown ever used the DeLorean for 14 days of continuous operation, he may have discovered the flux capacitor uses 400 "jiggawatt" hours, the same amount of energy as Tinker does in a single year.

As the largest energy consumer in the Department of Defense, several base senior leaders are spearheading a change toward a better future.

In late May, 72nd Air Base Wing and Tinker Installation Commander Col. Steven Bleymaier challenged several of his colleagues to see which on-base headquarters facility can save the most energy during June, July and August. Appropriately named, "Off We Go Energy Reduction Competition," the contest began June 1 and the air base wing and Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex are already thinking in terms of jiggawatts and big savings.

"We at Tinker spend approximately $30 million a year on our energy bills and our national deficit has been touted as the No. 1 threat to our society right now," said Dr. Kristian Olivero, OC-ALC technical director. "So a $30-million budget and a chance to make an impact to that budget is a chance for us to contribute to a national-level consumption strategy and reducing our debt."

The contest goal is to see which building can decrease their electrical consumption by the greatest percentage from the same three-month period in fiscal 2011. The 72nd ABW Civil Engineer Directorate reads the meters each week and provides updates every Monday beginning June 11 and continuing through Aug. 27, Colonel Bleymaier recently said.

While comparisons to the famed time machine in "Back to the Future," have meaning to some, others may better relate to modern-day comparisons. In one year, the Hoover Dam generates 100 times more energy than Tinker. But, Tinker uses as much energy and natural gas as roughly 22,000 households.

While the OC-ALC, which enlisted Bldgs. 3001 and 3113 in the contest, is interested in competing, Dr. Olivero said this year is still a planning year for the air logistics complex. Big, noticeable changes will happen in years to come. Complex officials are still determining what projects to tackle, but industrial appliances and back-shop processes -- chemical cleaning and heat treating operations -- will likely be at the top of the list.
In the meantime, organization officials are placing the foundation -- encouraging employee buy-in and strategizing the benefits of energy conservation.

"Back-shop operations consume a lot of energy in terms what it takes to heat water for plating operations, what it costs in terms of electricity to run ovens 24-hours, seven days a week and heat treat parts," said Col. Bob Helgeson, 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group commander representing the OC-ALC. "What we're doing is challenging the assumption that we need to run these operations 24/7 and look at ways to be more effective such as shut the water tanks off when we're not using them."

The organization is already making energy-conservation strides in the administrative offices by changing out the light bulbs to use LED bulbs and changing the culture.

"Most of how we save energy is behavioral," Dr. Olivero said. "Nothing saves more energy than the 'off' switch. Shutting off the lights, closing the door in an air-conditioned facility, turning off things we're not using is the No. 1 way we can save energy and the No. 1 way everybody can be a part of the team that's contributing to our cost savings."
Col. Stephen Wood, 72nd ABW vice commander, agreed.

"We can make great strides in energy reduction through changing our behavior and culture," he said. "This competition is geared at changing our behaviors."

Colonel Wood said 70 percent of Tinker's facilities were built in 1970 or earlier and it negatively affects energy usage. Bldg. 460, which is in the contest, but consistently places near the top of the leaderboard each week, is no exception. So, it is especially important during peak hours -- between 2 and 7 p.m. weekdays when energy costs more to produce -- that the workforce get onboard with the culture change.

While Colonel Wood said he makes a conscious decision to turn his light off, air conditioning up and sets his computer to hibernate when he leaves his office, he said the workforce has to be on board with energy savings.

To help with the culture change, motion-detector light sensors have been installed throughout the building, and building thermostats are set to 76 degrees.

"The Air Force Materiel Command fiscal 2012 Strategic Energy Plan puts emphasis on all aspects of energy -- reducing demand, increasing supply and a change in the culture -- and this is just one of the things we're doing to comply with that guidance," Colonel Wood said.