“How Low Did We Go?” Published June 11, 2010 By Britton Young 72nd Air Base Wing Civil Engineering Directorate TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- For Memorial Day weekend, the Tinker Energy Team encouraged personnel to limit energy usage by simply turning off or unplugging non-essential lights and equipment before leaving Tinker. Efforts across the base resulted in a savings of approximately $15,000 per day despite the high temperatures. This is a step towards making energy savings a constant consideration. "Culture change is the foundation of our Energy Strategic Plan. Emphasizing a different approach on long weekends and holidays is one of our efforts to make this change a reality," said Rex Stanford, a mechanical engineer with the 72nd Air Base Wing Civil Engineering Directorate. This initiative will continue every long weekend with the goal of making energy conservation second nature both at Tinker and at home. Saving energy not only saves money, it also protects the environment and enhances national security. Tinker avoided the use of approximately 29,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each day over Memorial Day weekend. That means each of those days Tinker avoided carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to the emissions for the electricity use of 25 homes for one year. The less energy Tinker consumes, the less dependence on foreign oil, and more money to spend on the war fighter. Every individual should remember they have the power to make a difference and each small action adds up to make a big difference, officials said.