Team Edwards' leadership emphasizes Energy Awareness Month with friendly competition

  • Published
  • By Lorenzo Fulmore and Enrique Torres
  • Civil Engineering Directorate
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif, --  Energy Awareness Month 2010 emphasizes a strong economy and secure future by encouraging everyone to take aim for clean energy. Each year for Energy Awareness Month, October, Edwards promotes energy-saving practices and ideas for the community to integrate into daily activities by utilizing materials such as posters and newspaper articles to carry a central theme and other energy outreach messages.

The 2010 Energy Awareness Month theme is: POWERING AMERICA; We're On Target! The theme resonates with Edwards' accomplishments. The base continues to zero in on energy targets to stimulate savings, lower operating expenses, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and achieve long-term energy and economic security. Edwards is leading the way toward energy security and renewed economic prosperity.

Investments in clean energy technologies are accelerating at an unprecedented pace. Replacing outdated vehicles with fuel-efficient hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles is transforming Edwards' fleet and automotive infrastructure; procurement of efficient products is reducing energy demand; constructing, operating, and maintaining high-performance buildings is tapping the power of efficiency and renewables.

Simple actions every day add up to big results: switching to compact fluorescent bulbs and solid-state lights, purchasing ENERGY STAR® equipment, turning out lights and shutting off peripherals and TVs when not in use; combining trips and sharing rides, reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Without a doubt, Edwards hits on all cylinders with the above actions reducing electrical consumption 2,876,000 kilowatt-hours from fiscal year 2009 and meeting the challenge set forth during last year's Energy Awareness Month.

Saving energy is a huge step toward saving the environment and slowing down global climate change. Fortunately, saving energy is easier than one might think. Educating the public on energy conservation is the big reason for making October Energy Awareness Month. Saving energy is not complicated, we've been told to turn up our thermostats in the summer, turn them down in the winter and reminders to car pool are evident with local van pool services. What else can we do to save energy?

Beginning fiscal year 2011, we are initiating General Hoffman's energy competition by pitting the 412th Test Wing headquarters, Bldg. 2750, against the 95th Air Base Wing headquarters, Bldg. 3000, in a month-long energy reduction competition. The competition is Edwards' version of "The Biggest Loser" that will challenge two like facilities and missions to reduce the most energy consumption based on the facility energy intensity per square foot of facility space. The results will be posted in the base newspaper each week to see how the competition is progressing, with the final tally being posted November 2. A little bit of fun and games can kick-start a new lifestyle and a slimmer carbon footprint.

If you change your light bulb, that's one thing, but if you knew that money you saved was going to a good cause you might be more incentivized to do something. Renewable (green power) technology-based changes are in the works for Edwards in the way of thermal energy storage devices (also called ice machines) and a 3.5 megawatt concentrated solar array using a Power Purchase Agreement.