PACAF continues to conserve energy Published Dec. 20, 2005 HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) -- It’s hard to pick up a national publication of any sort this winter and not see headlines screaming of impending financial peril because of sky-rocketing fuel prices. But, Pacific Air Forces has been combating energy resource concerns even before President Bush’s 2005 Energy and Fuel Conservation memorandum was sent to federal agencies in September. The memorandum directs executive departments and agencies to make natural gas, electricity and fuel conservation a priority. The command’s formalized plan, last year’s Energy Strategic Plan, exceeds the already-high standards mandated in the presidential memorandum. In October, PACAF received the Presidential Award for Leadership in Federal Energy Management using this plan. And it’s a plan that’s working, as evidenced by the command receiving the Presidential Award for Leadership in Federal Energy Management in October of 2005. “Humbling -- it was a big honor,” said Dean Nakasone, PACAF Civil Engineering’s facility energy conservation program manager. “There has always been more visibility on our utility bill, and this award validates the conservational commitment PACAF members continue to make.” The command’s bases operate in an energy intensive part of the world. Many bases are deal with extreme environmental conditions from the hot and humid climate of Guam to the cold and frigid temperatures of Alaska. With their plan, the command is able to save real money in the management of PACAF facilities. We want to do our part to save money and save some of our resources, Mr. Nakasone said. “It’s a real cost-saving program,” he said. The effects aren’t solely pocketbook driven. “When you save energy you also save environmental emissions,” Mr. Nakasone said. Because of their diverse locations and missions, each base commander has been given flexibility to implement the program, said Master Sgt. Toney Parris, PACAF Logistics Fuels manager. One size doesn’t always fit all, Sergeant Parris said. “Wing leadership is in the best position to make decisions as far as what impacts they can make,” he said. From solar hot water heating units in Hawaii and Guam to modernizing control systems for heating units in Alaska, there are as many different ways to be fiscally prudent as there are to be environmentally friendly. The innovations don’t stop once you reach the flightline. Reducing nonessential flying hours, shutting down unnecessary engines during a taxi, flying at optimal altitudes, and fitting lighting systems with more efficient technology are just some of the ways base flying missions have been modified to exploit savings ideas. And then there are the decidedly “retro” programs, afoot and “apedal” on PACAF bases. Security forces is increasing foot patrols and bike patrols to cut down on fuel used in their cruisers. But energy-savings programs are only as good as the people who manage and use them, Mr. Nakasone said. “You don’t want to be prescriptive. You want to make the tools available so that the bases can have a successful energy program,” Mr. Nakasone said.