CFL bulbs buy energy savings

Mr. Edward Jordan, Base Energy Manager, and Mr. Glynn Batla, Resource Efficiency Manager, talk to a group of Sheppard Airmen about energy savings through the use of Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs Oct. 25. The 82nd Civil Engineering Squadron plans to distribute over 1,000 CFL bulbs to replace incandescent bulbs in housing and dormitories on base, a switch that will buy 75 percent energy savings.

CFL bulbs buy energy savings

Mr. Glynn Batla, Resource Efficiency Manager, and Mr. Michael Gaffney, DS2 construction inspector, discuss energy savings through the use of Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs at Sheppard Air Force Base, Oct. 25. The 82nd Civil Engineering Squadron plans to distribute over 1,000 CFL bulbs to replace incandescent bulbs in housing and dormitories on base, a switch that will buy 75 percent energy savings.

CFL bulbs buy energy savings

Mr. Edward Jordan, Base Energy Manager, Mr. Glynn Batla, Resource Efficiency Manager, and Mr. Michael Gaffney, DS2 construction inspector, set up an educational booth for Airmen at the Mesquite Dining Facility, Sheppard Air Force Base Oct. 25, to distribute Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs and talk about energy savings. They have collaborated on a basewide lighting retrofit project for the past year.

A bright idea for energy savings

Published Oct. 26, 2011
By Capt. Brittany Martin
82nd Training Wing Public Affairs

SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- 82nd Civil Engineering Squadron energy and efficiency managers decided to place energy savings in the hands of Airmen who live on base by handing out energy-saving light bulbs and information on energy efficiency at the Mesquite Dining Facility, Oct. 25.

Mr. Edward Jordan, Base Energy Manager, and Mr. Glynn Batla, Resource Efficiency Manager, provided Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs to Airmen for use in their dorm rooms and base housing, which will create energy savings for Sheppard. While assisting the base, the energy and efficiency management team also hoped to teach Airmen good energy-saving habits that they will use at future bases and at home.

According to Jordan, a CFL bulb requires 23 watts, whereas the incandescent bulb uses 100 watts, and it lasts approximately eight times longer than an incandescent bulb.

"The bulbs will last longer than any Airman is here," Batla said, referring to the bulbs they plan to place in dorms.

Although a CFL bulb is more expensive, it pays for itself in less than a year.

"You can burn 10 incandescent bulbs for an hour for 7 cents, but you can burn 30 CFL bulbs for the same amount of time for the same price," Jordan explained, putting the savings in layman's terms.

The base energy team has been leaning forward to create energy savings for Sheppard Air Force Base, but not only because of Executive Order 13423, a 2007 federal mandate which sets requirements for environmental and energy management.

"Besides the Executive Order, it's the right thing to do," Batla said. "We've been really working hard the past few years to make the base more energy efficient."

The team has been working closely with Mr. Michael Gaffney, a construction inspector for DS2. A plumber by trade, Gaffney has been working on the lighting retrofit project for the past year, coordinating with Jordan and Batla to change buildings over to CFL lighting. According to Batla, the changeover is approximately 25 percent complete with work continuing to change all of the buildings over during the rest of this year and next year.

"The efforts have been continuous to some degree, but recently, the potential really is being realized," Gaffney said.

The 82nd CES plans to distribute over 1,000 CFL bulbs to replace incandescent bulbs in housing and dormitories on base, a switch that will buy 75 percent energy savings.