CONSERVE: Tinker programs in place to save energy, resources Published March 6, 2009 By Howdy Stout Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., -- Tinker Air Force Base may be among the first in the Air Force to meet federally-mandated green energy requirements when it signs an agreement this month with OG&E for the supply of wind-generated electricity. Under the agreement, OG&E will provide 7.5 percent of the base's electricity from wind farms under the utility provider's Wind Energy Project. By 2013 Tinker is required to obtain 7.5 percent of its energy from green sources. "We're probably going to be one of the first ones to make our goal," said John Hurd, base energy manager for the 72nd Civil Engineer Group. "We're doing it four years early." OG&E's Centennial Wind Farm is one of the largest in the country and plans are to quadruple it in the next few years. Although the cost of wind power locally is higher than from traditional gas or coal sources, wind energy is the main source of green power in Oklahoma. The utility approached officials at Tinker to participate in the project. "It was a great opportunity for us," Mr. Hurd explained. "We're really fortunate." But harnessing the wind is only one of several projects in the works to make Tinker more energy efficient and conserve resources. "Conserving energy and resources is a big part of being good stewards of what the taxpayers have entrusted to us. We have a mission to carry out, and we are very focused on that, but we cannot lose sight of conservation. I'm very proud of the steps we are taking at Tinker to bring about positive change and savings," said Col. Allen Jamerson, 72nd Air Base Wing and installation commander. With the help of the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, Tinker will participate in Operation Change Out, which will replace normal incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. "We've set a goal of 700 or 800 bulbs across the base," Mr. Hurd said. Operation Change Out began last April and is a voluntary program for military installations to install energy-saving CFLs. Originally scheduled to run only until October, the program has been extended until Earth Day, April 22. With an annual utility bill at Tinker of between $35 and $40 million, every bit of savings counts. Simply shutting down computers, unplugging the coffee pot and switching off lights can contribute to conserving resources. "All of that adds up," Mr. Hurd said. "At a base with 25,000 people, if everybody does it, we can make a significant change." Also changing are Air Force perceptions toward resource conservation. Although mission critical services remain ready, those not needed 24-hours-a-day can reduce their energy consumption at off-peak times. Energy management control systems in various buildings can be better utilized and "fine tuned" to reduce consumption, Mr. Hurd said. The Air Force is also paying closer attention to life-cycle costs to save energy and money. In the past, lack of funding often meant that systems were used long after they had outlived their expected service life. This meant more money was spent to keep an old system running rather than replace it with a more modern and efficient system. A good example is Tinker's steam plants and steam distribution system. Many of the services at Tinker are heat-sensitive and several centralized steam plants provide steam as heating energy for buildings throughout the base. But the system, Mr. Hurd said, has long outlived its projected life cycle. In many cases, he said, leaks can no longer be repaired. "Our distribution system is 40 to 50 years old, very antiquated," Mr. Hurd said. "It's not just inefficient, it can be very dangerous." The solution is a plan to optimize and decentralize the steam plants, which in turn would limit the amount of infrastructure needed for distribution. The plan would cost an estimated $60 to $70 million with a construction time of 18 to 24 months. Mr. Hurd said the Air Force is beginning to spend more on maintenance to reduce long-term costs. "It's the direction the Air Force wants to go," Mr. Hurd said. "At some point, you have to pay the bill."