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October is Energy Action Month at the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan. The U.S. Air Force-wide campaign is designed to educate Airmen on energy saving objectives. Members of the 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron have begun several installation-wide initiatives to improve the energy saving climate around the Transit Center. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration/Senior Airman Brett Clashman)
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Engineers Pave Energy Conservation Path
Posted 10/13/2012 Updated 10/13/2012
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by Staff Sgt. Matt Benedetti
376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
10/13/2012 - Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan -- October is Energy Action Month at the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan. Based on the U.S. Air Force-wide campaign designed to educate Airmen on energy saving objectives members of the 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, here, have begun several installation-wide initiatives to improve the energy saving climate around Transit Center.
1st Lt. Matt Buscemi, 376 ECES construction management chief, is actively involved in this effort.
"The best way for Transit Center personnel to take action on energy is to switch off heat and air conditioning units when not in use," said Buscemi, a native of Manteo, N.C., who is deployed from Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.
"It does not require a lot of time to either cool or heat living quarters and most personnel do not occupy their rooms for 12 hours a day," he said. "Each dorm room is equipped with an air conditioner that draws approximately 1.5 Kilowatts [of energy]. By simply switching off the air conditioner when a room is unoccupied, servicemembers can save the Air Force about $4.50 each day; with more than 1,000 dorm rooms here, that total cost savings equates to more than $ 1.5 million annually," he said.
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines living in transient tents can contribute to the energy saving efforts as well.
"We have more than 70 tents in Hotel Alaska transient living area. If the environmental control units are switched off for approximately 4 hours each day, that equates to a potential savings of approximately $1,000 per day or nearly half a million dollars per year," Buscemi said.
Energy conservation is more than educating servicemembers on savings and reminding them to switch off appliances when not in use. Evaluation of the effective use of real estate and structures also contributes to direct energy savings.
By evaluating the space-use not only are we ensuring personnel have the tools necessary to complete their specific mission here, but we are also able to have a direct influence on energy related cost savings measures, said Capt. Dustin Creed, 376 ECES programs flight chief.
"For example, by moving the Post Office and 966th Air Expeditionary Squadron from tents into insulated, hardened buildings, we are improving quality of life with upgrades to workspaces and also significantly lowering heating and cooling costs," he said.
Creed also recommends all Transit Center Airmen to be mindful of energy conservation.
"Ultimately, it is the simple actions, such as switching off lights or air conditioners when leaving a room, turning off televisions and shutting down computer terminals when not in use, that, when multiplied by our Transit Center population, add up, exponentially, to considerable cost savings in both energy conservation and budget," said Creed, a native of Tollhouse, Calif., who is deployed from Travis AFB, Calif.
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