Academy seeks savings through mock energy bill program

  • Published
  • By Don Branum
  • Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  The Air Force Academy's Installations and Mission Support Directorate will send out a second round of mock utility bills in April to raise units' awareness about their energy use.
The first round of bills, sent to mission elements here in February, breaks down how facilities across the base spent roughly $570,000 on energy in October and November of 2013.

Russ Hume, who works in the Headquarters, USAFA Installations Directorate -- or A7 --and is one of its foremost experts on Air Force Academy energy usage, told unit representatives they should expect to receive a mock bill every other month, containing two months' worth of data.

"The purpose of the mock bill is to increase awareness of electricity costs and encourage personnel in your unit to take steps to reduce electricity use," Hume wrote in the emails.
A7 is undertaking centrally controlled energy initiatives, such as load shedding, which includes brief rolling shutdowns of heating and cooling equipment. These initiatives should be transparent to mission elements, Hume said.

Building occupants can also help save energy, Hume said: Office equipment and lighting accounts for as much as 37 percent of building energy construction, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration and Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey. Building occupants can save energy in a number of ways:

· Turn off lights in unoccupied areas.

· Turn off overhead or task lighting when not needed or when leaving one's office or dormitory for an extended time period.

· Consolidate appliances in break areas and limit use of personal appliances such as coffee pots and portable fans.

· Unplug chargers and other "always-on" electronic items when they're not in use.

· Turn off monitors, speakers and other peripheral IT equipment at the end of the day or if leaving for an extended time.

· Avoid using personal space heaters.

· Report exterior lights that are on during the day to facility managers, along with poorly sealed windows and doors.

"Individually, these actions may seem insignificant, but as a whole, they do add up," Hume said. "Together, we can turn the Air Force Academy into an energy-conscious installation where we really do make 'energy a consideration in all we do.'"

People who have questions or need help finding ways to save energy can contact A7 via email at usafa_a7.org@usafa.edu. People who have heating or cooling problems should speak with their facility managers or contact the 10th Civil Engineer Squadron's customer service desk at 333-2790.