Tinker committed to new AF energy plan, ahead of the game

Published Dec. 23, 2009
By Brandice J. Armstrong
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- On Dec. 9, Air Force officials in Washington, D.C., released a new energy plan. The goal, they said, is to push a "culture shift" and make Airmen aware about energy usage and offer guidance to reduce demand and increase supply. Tinker is the largest consumer of facility energy in the Air Force, and is already making strides to be more energy efficient.

"Tinker has reduced energy consumption by more than 18 percent since 2003. That's 6 percent ahead of the Air Force goal," said Gene Gallogly, 72nd Air Base Wing Civil Engineer director. "But, it's only a small start. We have several programs and projects that together can cut our facility energy and use almost in half with Team Tinker's help. Just this month, we were told that we will receive another $1.2 million to accomplish energy upgrades in several facilities."

John Hurd, Tinker's energy manager, said the money will be used for lighting upgrades for several warehouse spaces, and a new compressed air control system for the industrial side of the base.

The Civil Engineer directorate recently hosted an energy expo in late October. The expo was designed to answer energy-related questions and display new technologies.

"We call it an energy expo, but it's really all encompassing as far as green technologies and what we are doing on the base," Mr. Hurd said. "So, it's an energy expo with environmental aspects."

Civil engineering personnel also introduced the "Fueling the Mission" proclamation in conjunction with Energy Awareness Month and challenged Tinker employees to electronically sign it. By signing it, Tinker personnel commit themselves to being more energy conscious. Civil engineering officials said they want 10,000 Tinker employees committed to the cause by Jan. 1. As of Dec. 11, 2,280 people have signed the proclamation.

"The energy proclamation is about a change in culture," Mr. Gallogly said. "We all want to do the right thing and support the president's agenda, but it's not just about good intentions. We need your commitment to change."

In October, 72nd ABW/CE also launched the "How Low Can We Go" energy-conservation campaign to teach base personnel to be more energy conscious. By reminding base employees to turn off and unplug non-essential equipment in the office when away from work for an extended period of time, they could help Tinker and the Air Force, as a whole, save money and preserve resources. The program was deemed a success over the Columbus Day holiday three-day weekend and Thanksgiving's four-day weekend.

Mr. Hurd said Thanksgiving was just as successful as the Columbus Day holiday weekend. Since base officials started tracking usage data more than six years ago, this year's Thanksgiving holiday showed the lowest amount of electricity used.

On average, Tinker spends roughly $95,000 a day on electricity. During both Columbus Day weekend and the Thanksgiving weekend, the base saved approximately $90,000 to $100,000, Mr. Hurd said.

"When you talk about non-operational hours, when the majority of our people are not at work, it's roughly two-thirds of the year. Not many of us work nights, weekends and holidays, in terms of hours. It's really kind of shocking when you think about the savings we could make without any impact on the mission," he said.

Tinker officials said while there have been several programs introduced in the past couple of months, it will take a Team-Tinker effort to make a difference.

"We're making great strides on facility-energy use, but we need everyone to help, especially on fuel-conservation efforts," Mr. Gallogly said. "Tinker is in a great position to help the Air Force with aircraft energy use. We have the expertise needed to suggest new ways to fly and train to reduce fuel consumption, and we can look for ways to make our engines and aircraft more fuel efficient. It's up to all of us, and we have to be successful."