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AMC officials save energy in the office, on the road
Posted 10/11/2011 Updated 10/7/2011
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by Thomas G. Kistler
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
10/11/2011 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) -- With an annual energy bill of more than $100 million, not including aircraft fuel, Air Mobility Command officials are exploring ways to save energy and the money spent on it. While the most obvious energy savings might come from the flying mission, AMC is working just as hard to save energy on the ground.
One ongoing effort to save energy in the workplace is the use of smart power strips. According to Steve Kalmer, the energy and utilities engineering program manager for AMC, these devices automatically cut power to designated peripherals when the controlling outlet senses a change. For example, when a computer monitor turns off due to inactivity, the task lighting, computer speakers, radio and other peripherals would also turn off if they were plugged into a smart power strip.
Jeanine Dunn, the AMC productivity programs and Productivity Enhancing Capital Investment program manager here, said AMC is purchasing $449,325 worth of smart power strips using PECI funds. PECI officials calculate the lifecycle savings from using smart power strips to be $990,000 for a 2.2 to 1 return on investment. The smart power strips will be distributed to all AMC installations at no cost to each base.
Other energy saving initiatives in AMC include occupancy sensors and dimmer switches for lights, officials said.
While smart power strips and occupancy sensors save electricity in buildings, AMC officials are also saving energy on the road.
"All diesel powered vehicles (in AMC) are capable of using B20 bio-diesel," said Michael D. Stebbins, a vehicle management specialist in AMC's Logistics Directorate. "Approximately 1300 vehicles, or 33 percent of the general purpose fleet, can use E85 gasoline. We also have 48 hybrid electric vehicles within the command."
Stebbins said Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., has been chosen as one of the locations for a Department of Defense study on the use of plug-in electric vehicles.
The PECI program's mission is "to provide expedited funding for capital acquisition projects which provide measurable benefits and real savings to the Air Force." Each year, PECI invests an average of $10-$11 million that will net an average life cycle savings of approximately $112 million, officials said. These investments have funded a wide variety of productivity improvements -- from technology upgrades that increase administrative speed to major equipment purchases that increase base capabilities. While the details of each PECI project may vary, they all have two key elements in common: measurable benefits and real savings. |
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