CES and Sheppard recognized by Department of Energy

  • Published
  • By John Ingle
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Sheppard already knew it was tops in environmental areas. Now the base can lay claim to being tops in energy conservation as it was named a winner of a 2007 Federal Energy & Water Management Award recently.

The 82nd Civil Engineer Squadron led Sheppard as one of only seven military installations recognized for Energy Efficiency/Energy Program Management. Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, and five Navy installations were also cited for their conservations efforts.

Capt. Donald Harper, the chief of maintenance engineering for the 82nd CES, said although the squadron and base was recognized, most of the applause should go to the efforts of one man - Sam Hagins, the base energy manager.

"We won this award, but he did 90 percent of the leg work," Captain Harper said. "He is Mr. Energy."

In 2006, Air Education and Training Command introduced a goal for bases to meet to help reduce the costs of energy. From 2005 to 2006, energy rates jumped 46 percent, causing a 19 percent increase for cooling degree days for Sheppard.

Although rates climbed, Sheppard's energy conservation program rose to the occasion, claiming the top spot among all AETC bases with a 38.7 percent decrease in energy consumption. They were followed by Goodfellow AFB, Texas, with a 37 percent reduction. The average for all of AETC was 18.4 percent.

Captain Harper lauded Sheppard members' efforts to help in the conservation efforts. He said Mr. Hagins identified areas of high use and provided instructions to help facility managers and occupants of those structures help reduce costs.

"(Any) 'energy hogs' were individually audited by Mr. Hagins, who recommended simple, no-cost energy saving measures," the captain said. "Often, these were as simple as closing doors between air conditioned and unconditioned spaces, closing blinds to reduce solar heating and turning off lights in empty rooms."

Also important to note is a "mock billing" plan the energy program produced that provided "bills" to individual facilities to show how much energy they consumed and how much it would cost Sheppard.

In all, Sheppard saved about $360,000 in utility costs, proving to be one of the top savers among federal agencies.

What's even more phenomenal is Sheppard reduced energy consumption with little or no cost. Captain Harper said the base energy program's No-Cost Load Reduction is what led Sheppard to being the model of energy conservation for the command and the Air Force.

"Our success was due to the support of our customers at Sheppard," he said. "We continue to foster a mindset of intelligent energy conservation, and because our customers have embraced those ideas, we continue to have a model energy conservation program."

Now that current programs have been recognized, the 82nd CES isn't just accepting status quo as they look to the future. Plans are underway to battle antiquated buildings and air conditioning equipment with marked improvements.

The program is in the early stages of an Energy Savings Performance contract that would allow a contractor to update existing equipment. The contract would work on the premise that savings from the new equipment would be used to pay utility costs and the work of the contractor. Although it is in the beginning stages, Captain Harper said it is a program that would help Sheppard to continue its conservation trends.

For more information on how to help conserve Sheppard's energy, call Mr. Hagins at 676-5689.