Time for a little less talk and a lot more action

  • Published
  • By Carl James, Ph.D., P.E.
  • 14th Civil Engineer Squadron
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  As the Columbus Air Force Base Energy Manager, I write this first of four articles for Energy Action Month in a bi-polar state of mind; enraged, yet enthused. Enraged that I am so "strongly encouraged" by the Air Force to engage in a month of energy cheerleading while energy action work slides to the back burner. However I am enthused that I can use this coerced activity to turn lemons into lemonade, to sell the right way to achieve energy savings, to sell the Columbus AFB energy success story.

Let's start with the lemonade. Executive Order 13423 requires all federal agencies to reduce energy intensity (consumption) by three percent per year, with an end goal of 30 percent reduction by 2015, relative to a 2003 baseline. Like many Air Force bases Columbus was not only behind on meeting the goals, but actually heading in the wrong direction... that is until the end of fiscal year 2010. Beginning in FY11, Columbus turned its energy program around. As of the third quarter of FY12, Columbus has reduced energy intensity by 22 percent from FY03 levels, now one of only four bases in the AETC ahead of the EO 13423 glide path (21 percent below FY03 by FY12). Columbus won both first Quarter and second Quarter FY12 AETC Energy Incentive Awards, a cash award totaling $500,000 being used to renovate the base swimming pool, thus freeing up other fitness funds to upgrade the air conditioning system at the base gym, all directly benefitting our Airmen in quality of life, fitness, and readiness to complete their mission.

This success is no accident, but rather, is a result of implementing a new Columbus AFB Energy Strategic Plan in FY11. One of the major initiatives of this plan was to shift our energy awareness paradigm away from the status quo focus on cheerleading ("You too have the power to save energy and save the world!"), browbeating ("Turn off this, turn off that!"), and inundating the general public with a seemingly endless list of energy factoids that are mostly false ("Did you know that leaving one light bulb on overnight consumes enough energy to brew two cups of coffee?").

Beginning in FY11, we chose to abandon the month-long "awareness" campaign and implement a continuous program of teaching a targeted group of people with the greatest ability to impact our energy bottom line: Our leadership who have the ability to change and enforce policy and leverage funding; our HVAC, Energy Management Control System, plumbing, and electrical shops who are in the field daily and have the greatest opportunity to spot and correct energy wasting equipment malfunctions and poor operating procedures; lastly our facility managers who know their buildings and have the direct line of communication with our shop personnel and building occupants. The results have spoken loudly!

In keeping with Columbus' new legacy of demonstrating energy leadership rather than following the herd through energy cheerleading throughout Energy Action Month, we are instead working with leadership through the Columbus Energy Management Steering Group to launch BLAZEnergy, or Building Leaders Acuteness in Ztewardship of Energy - what leaders and decision makers really need to know about energy stewardship.

In the next couple of weeks I look forward to sharing with you a few energy myth busters you will find useful at home and at work. Then we'll wrap up the month with final conclusions and a challenge for "a little less talk and a lot more action."