Fort McCoy
Donated Light Bulbs help Improve Energy Conservation
Buildings at Fort McCoy will become more energy-efficient with a donation of 10,000 new compact fluorescent light bulbs. Greg Shattuck, a planner/estimator for the McCoy Public Works Joint Venture, said the installation received the light bulbs from the Focus on Energy organization. Focus on Energy, which is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, is funded through customer payments to local electrical utilities and used a large-scale group purchasing effort to procure the light bulbs. The economies of making a mass purchase, combined with the normal financial incentive Focus on Energy can offer for the bulbs, allowed the bulbs to be offered free of charge to the organizations involved.
The new bulbs will be used throughout post buildings, Shattuck said. The bulbs are the same kind people would buy and put in their home lighting fixtures. Many of the bulbs also will be given to the Family Housing program for use in South Post and the Woodridge Family Housing.
Sherry Oslie, Fort McCoy Family Housing Manager, stated that the Housing maintenance personnel staff replaces shower heads with lower-flow shower heads and accomplishes any other energy-efficient upgrades possible during the maintenance period between occupants. The new compact fluorescent light bulbs will be installed during the same period to avoid additional labor cost.
- Mission The replacement of bulbs reduces the money spent on energy consumption allowing savings for housing budgets. Personnel living in these facilities receive a basic allowance for housing, which is used to cover basic utilities, such as electricity.
- Community Reducing energy use improves the health and welfare of the surrounding community.
- Environment By focusing on energy efficient upgrades for military housing, Fort McCoy is contributing to a cleaner environment and reducing its environmental footprint. This project also reduces energy consumption and reduces waste since fluorescent bulbs last longer.
- Cost Avoided A cost avoidance of approximately $3.00 per fluorescent light bulb has been estimated at approximately $30,000 for this project.
- Cost Savings Fort McCoy will realize large energy savings that the new light bulbs provide over the incandescent light bulbs they will replace. A compact fluorescent light bulb saves about $30 over its lifetime and pays for itself in about 6 months. It uses 75 percent less energy and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.
Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office: (608) 388-2769
For more information, which includes cost assistance with energy audits and/or coupon discounts on energy-efficient light bulbs, call the toll-free number at (800) 762-7077 or visit the Focus on Energy web site.