Powering awareness saves money

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Tara A. Williamson
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Each October, the Air Force focuses its energy on saving energy.

"Our theme for Energy Awareness Month this year is 'Power the Force - Fuel the Fight,'" said Michael Donley, secretary of the Air Force, and Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force chief of staff, in an energy awareness message to the public. "This theme seeks to highlight energy as a critical resource to our capabilities and reminds us to focus on the impact our day-to-day energy decisions have on the mission."

Over the last 15 years, the Air Force has met or exceeded its energy-saving goals, said Michael Gilbert, 718th Civil Engineer Squadron energy manager. But with the Air Force relying more on technology over the years, it is becoming harder and harder to keep these goals.

"It is necessary to provide energy to all Air Force equipment and facilities to do the mission," said Dan Sherrill, 718th CES civil engineer, "which enables the Air Force to deliver airpower to where it is needed, and combat enemy forces wherever they may be."

Though the energy spent on equipment and facilities to support the mission may not be able to be cut back, each member of Team Kadena, whether civilian or service member, is responsible for doing their part to help save energy.

"Each one of us can make a difference," said Sherrill, "even if our contribution is small. For example, saving one kilowatt-hour by each of [the] 20,000 people at this base equals 20 megawatt-hours. That's over $3,000 taken off our electric bill."

Simple savings such as turning off the light when exiting a room or using compact fluorescent light bulbs are examples of how anyone, at work or home, can do their part to conserve energy.

Some other ways people can help Team Kadena conserve energy are:
  • Use compact fluorescent light bulbs
  • Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle.
  • Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
  • Plug home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use (TVs and DVDs in standby mode still use several watts of power).
  • Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, or 49 degrees Celsius.
  • Take short showers instead of baths.
  • Wash only full loads in dishwashers and clothes washers.
  • Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gasoline.
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Visit http://www.energysavers.gov/ for more energy-saving ideas.

"Hundreds of thousands of people work on or live on Air Force bases worldwide," Gilbert said. "If we all found a way to save $1 per day, together we could save hundreds of thousands of dollars every day. This money could then be used to 'Fuel the Fight.'"