During "Energy Awareness Month" Air Force civil engineers are reminded to "Think Green, Build Green, Fly Blue." (U.S. Air Force graphic/Nick Medrano) Civil engineer reflects on energy awareness achievements by Jennifer Elmore Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency 10/28/2010 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- October's energy awareness theme, "Think Green, Build Green, Fly Blue," reminds Airmen to seek ways to conserve energy, increase efficiency, and incorporate sustainable practices into their lives. Responsible for installation support functions at 166 bases worldwide, Civil Engineer Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Byers developed a plan for Airmen to build leaner installations, find cleaner sources of energy and make smarter decisions when planning and using energy. "Making energy a consideration in everything we do isn't just a tagline," General Byers said. "Energy is the operations enabler allowing us to quickly and effectively deliver our warfighting capabilities to fly, fight, and win." Leaner Installations To make installations better platforms for accomplishing the mission, Air Force officials have improved walls, windows, floors and roofs, installing more efficient lights, and decentralizing heat plants at bases across the country, the general added. At Minot Air Force Base, N.D., for example, engineers replaced an old central heat plant and distribution system with ground source heat pumps and high-efficiency boilers. These changes led to a 38 percent drop in energy usage and a 13 percent reduction in water consumption, base officials said. Around 90 percent of Air Force bases have installed "smart meters" to measure energy usage, find efficiencies, and create energy savings. Since 2007, the Air Force's compliance with U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards has led to the construction of 10 new facilities and 736 homes that are LEED Silver certified. Forty-six additional buildings are currently on track for the Silver designation, and four others are seeking LEED Gold. Tyndall AFB's state-of-the-art fitness center uses 40 percent less energy than a typical building its size, and is expected to become the first DOD facility to reach LEED Platinum level, USGBC's highest attainable certification, General Byers said. Cleaner Sources In pursuit of cleaner energy sources, Air Force officials said solar, wind, gas, and ground source heat pump renewable energy projects are in operation at 45 bases, and engineers at the Air Force Facility Energy Center here expect the number of projects to double by 2015. As the service expands into the biomass arena, AFFEC engineers said two 15- to 25-megawatt wood-waste plants are under consideration for Eglin AFB, Fla., and Warner Robins AFB, Ga. In total, the Air Force produces 5.8 percent of its annual energy by renewable sources, already surpassing its 5 percent goal for 2009. "If all planned projects come to fruition by 2015, the Air Force will be producing an estimated 1.5 million megawatt hours annually, or roughly 15 percent of its annual energy usage," General Byers said. Smarter Decisions According to General Byers, around 30 percent of the Air Force's energy conservation can be realized by a servicewide cultural change. As a result, the Air Force Academy's Falcon Green program is bringing energy issues into the curriculum, ensuring that all future Air Force leaders embrace energy awareness from the start of their careers. Officials at Air Combat Command, at Langley AFB, Va., said the base developed its own energy awareness program that encourages competition among squadrons for increasing energy efficiency and conservation. ACC officials also developed the "Do One Thing" program, which challenges Airmen to make one significant change in their energy use. At Air Force Special Operations Command, at Hurlbert Field, Fla., the energy manager distributed an "Energy Footprint" questionnaire to increase energy awareness and encourage everyone to reduce their energy footprint. Energy officials at Tyndall AFB plan to hold an energy expo, host a day of educational displays at the base elementary school and display large energy awareness banners at base entrances. The service's energy efficiency efforts have helped the Air Force reduce its overall facility energy consumption by nearly 12 percent since 2005, General Byers said. "It is a trend the Air Force hopes, and expects, to continue as (officials) push toward greater energy security, an issue they now see as an operational imperative that not only is good for the environment, but also saves money and lives," he said.