ROBINS UNPLUGGED: Base leadership unveils energy savings campaign Published May 16, 2008 By Amanda Creel 78 ABW/PA Robins Air Force Base, Ga. -- When it comes to dollars and sense, most of us are frugal with money spent on energy at home. However, when the bill doesn't come to you directly, it's harder to take a penny-wise approach. With energy costs rising and a mandate from the President to decrease usage, members of the base need to be more responsible when it comes to personal energy usage in the workplace. To help raise this awareness, senior leadership at Robins is making energy conservation a priority. In fiscal 2007, the base's total energy bill was $27,605,855 with $18,837,000 going to electricity and the remaining $8,768,855 going to natural gas. This means each Robins' employee, whether they are active duty, civilian or a contractor, owns about $1,350 of the base's annual energy costs. This is why Robins' senior leadership is asking employees to do their part and support the "Commander Kill A Watt" campaign by decreasing individual energy consumption. "It is each of our responsibilities to take small steps every day to conserve energy, whether it is turning off your computer screen or unplugging coffee pots," said Col. Warren Berry, 78th Air Base Wing commander. "Though these efforts may seem inconsequential by itself, when you multiply these small actions by the more than 20,000 workers at Robins, we can make a huge impact on our environment and stop the continual upward spiral of our energy bills." It isn't just Robins tightening its belt when it comes to energy use. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 requires all federal agencies to reduce energy intensity by 30 percent and their water consumption by 16 percent by 2015. Another requirement of the act is to use renewable energy for 7.5 percent of energy consumed. "Energy is a big issue in our country. I believe our generation will be judged in history for what we do with energy management," said Bob Farrell, deputy base civil engineer with the 78th Civil Engineer Group. The base's annual energy bills could double about every five years due to a historical 15 percent increase in energy prices and a 2.5 percent increase in base consumption each year. "I ask each of you to ponder, 'If not us, who? If not now, when?' We should be responsible for conserving energy and ensuring we are able to hand our planet and our country over to the next generation in better shape than we ourselves inherited it," Colonel Berry said. In just the first seven months of fiscal 2008, the base has already spent $10,352,311 for electrical energy for the industrial complex. "We've spent well over $10 million and we haven't even seen the 'hot' summer months yet," said Dave Bury, pollution prevention program manager in the Environmental Management Division. "We are well on our way to $19 or $20 million based on our history, if we don't change something soon." Randall Evans, the 78th Air Base Wing change manager, explained the base is doing the same thing each employee would do if their power bills were skyrocketing out of control. "We are having an awareness campaign, but instead of going to our kids and telling them to turn off the lights, we are asking Team Robins members to do those things," Mr. Evans said. If each employee at Robins reduced his or her energy use by a mere $4 every two weeks, then the base could save approximately $2.75 million each year. Judah Bradley, 778th Civil Engineer Squadron project manager, said he wants the base population to understand how important they are to the potential success of the base's new energy conservation agenda. "We don't know your processes nearly as well as you do. We are looking to you to tell us where there are opportunities to reduce or eliminate energy waste," Mr. Bradley said. It will require a culture change by the base community for Robins to be able to reach these energy milestones, Mr. Farrell said. Robins senior leadership has devised a plan to help the base meet the requirements of the energy act and position the base to continue down a greener path for years to come. The first hurdle is to reduce energy use by 10 percent between now and September 2009, Mr. Evans said. He added the big initial push will be followed by an additional four percent reduction each year until 2015. "Meeting the energy goals at hand will require all the players on Team Robins to make the plays and assists necessary to 'Kill A Watt' through energy conservation. As installation commander, I need each of you to raise your game in an effort to preserve our environment and ensure we are not wasting money on unnecessary energy use," Colonel Berry said. Mr. Farrell said everyone on base needs to take a hard look at how they use energy and find ways to reduce their consumption. "For me personally one thing I learned just recently is how much energy is used when you leave your computer screen on. Now I always make an effort to turn my computer screen off because I know that action alone can make a difference," Mr. Farrell said. Though Robins recognizes it can't reach its energy goals without Team Robins embracing the energy conservation campaign, it also realizes there are some big picture projects that must also take place. Some of the many projects the base is considering include exploring using more renewable energy. Presently, the base secures renewable energy from off base sources, but the new focus of energy includes a push to generate our own renewable energy here. One idea is use of cellulose-based renewable energy, which uses wood to create ethanol. The base is also working to enhance its use of other renewable energies at the base, such as solar, bio-mass and other renewable energy products. "We have been working closely with the Alternative Energy Office for the state of Georgia and they are playing a key role in our efforts to enhance our renewable energy program," Mr. Bradley said. One of the energy use awareness projects the base has already embarked on includes a $1.5 million electrical metering project. Every building on base 35,000 square feet or larger, or other buildings considered a large energy consumer, will receive meters, Mr. Bradley said. The base also has plans for more metering projects in the future including more electrical meters and installing meters that monitor usage of natural gas, chill water and steam usage, he added. With all of these energy efforts, the base has also recognized the need for a team or office to be created to address the many challenges of "going green."