Department of Energy recognizes Air Force energy program

  • Published
  • By Jennifer McCabe
  • Air Force Civil Engineer Center Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --  It's the Oscars of the energy world and the Air Force has stolen the show again.

Innovative ideas and procedures for saving facility energy and aviation fuel have earned the Air Force five Federal Energy Management Program awards in 2013, bringing the total to 21 winners in the last four years.

A part of the U.S. Department of Energy, FEMP recognizes individuals and organizations in federal government that make significant contributions to the efficient use of energy and water resources.

Air Force winners for 2013 include: Kelly Jaramillo, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; David Morin, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas; Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.; 22nd Operations Group Fuel Efficiency Office, McConnell AFB, Kansas; and Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.

Their combined efforts helped the Air Force save more than $18.6 million in 2012.

Individual Winners
USAFE Energy Program Manager Kelly Jaramillo is responsible for a $145 million utility budget across 10 wings and 114 geographically separated units in Europe. Jaramillo is known for developing innovative ideas, tools and strategies for saving energy, water and money.

"The most important things from my perspective are teamwork, constant communication and the will to never quit," Jaramillo said.

In fiscal 2012, Jaramillo made reducing energy use in military family housing one of her goals. Overseas electricity and natural gas bills cost the Air Force $23.7 million annually and military families never see them. Jaramillo worked with the housing programmer to create the headquarters USAFE Resident Energy Efficiency Program, or REEP. 

REEP organizers then engaged installation and housing leadership, provided personalized coaching to participating families, installed in-home energy monitors and employed rewards and recognition programs.

The program began in October, and so far, REEP participants have reduced energy use by 25 percent and natural gas consumption by 17 percent.

Base energy manager David Morin, guided the Laughlin AFB energy efforts, changing the base from being one of the highest energy users within Air Education and Training Command to the lowest. He helped reduce energy use by 24 percent and water use by 27 percent.

Morin teamed with commanders to minimize irrigated space, maintain a standard office temperature set point, reduce night lighting, train warehouse buyers to identify energy and water efficient products and use advanced meters to identify anomalies and work with facility managers to correct them.

"It took senior leadership support and a coordinated effort from our maintenance shops, energy management control system staff, facility occupants and engineer project managers all looking at how to conserve in their individual areas," Morin said.

He is currently working with the Air Force Renewable Energy Project Development Panel on a 10-megawatt photovoltaic power plant and has received construction funding for a base-wide xeriscape project.

Program Winners
The ACC facility energy team at Langley managed a program for 16 installations focused on project execution, system optimization and accounting. The program awarded 39 energy projects in fiscal 2012, saving $5.4 million annually. The adjustment and calibration of heating ventilation and air conditioning at 78 major facilities, along with energy management control system repairs and training at 12 bases, brings the total energy saved in fiscal 2012 to 538,809 MMBTU. That's enough energy to power 14,000 average homes a year.

The 22nd Operations Group Fuel Efficiency Office at McConnell AFB designed and implemented measures to reduce and eliminate inefficiency in fuel management of the KC-135 Stratotanker. One initiative, reducing landing fuel by 5,000 pounds per sortie saved nearly two million gallons of fuel a year. The team also reduced flap approach profiles, redistributed 100 training flights to simulators and developed a new training configuration which reduced aircraft basic weight by 1,600 pounds. In total, these efforts established a new culture and saved the Air Force $4.3 million in 2012 despite a 42-percent increase in sorties.

Project Winner
The Seymour Johnson AFB Energy Team supported the design and construction of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold level Seymour Johnson Support Center. The building consolidated five organizations into a single facility to reduce energy consumption by 60 percent, energy costs by 50 percent and potable water use by 50 percent.

A ceremony for all  winners will be held in Washington, D.C., in November. Other winners include: Department of Agriculture, Department of the Army, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of the Interior, Department of the Navy, Department of Veterans Affairs, General Services Administration and U.S. Marine Corps.