Scott Air Force Base, Ill. -- With an annual energy bill of more than $100 million, not including aircraft fuel, Air Mobility Command officials are exploring ways to save energy and the money spent on it.
While the most obvious energy savings might come from the flying mission, AMC is working just as hard to save energy on the ground.

One ongoing effort to save energy in the workplace is the use of smart power strips. According to Steve Kalmer, the AMC/A7OO energy and utilities engineering program manager for AMC at Scott Air Force Base, these devices automatically cut power to designated peripherals when the controlling outlet senses a change. For example, when a computer monitor turns off due to inactivity, the task lighting, computer speakers, radio and other peripherals would also turn off if they were plugged into a smart power strip.

How many times have office workers left for "just a minute" only to be called into a meeting or become involved in a detailed, work-related conversation in the hallway? When they come back to their desks 30 minutes later, they find the lights, radio and everything else turned on and wasting energy.

Jeanine Dunn, the AMC productivity programs and Productivity Enhancing Capital Investment, or PECI program manager here, says that AMC is purchasing $449,325 worth of smart power strips using PECI funds. PECI officials calculate the lifecycle savings from using smart power strips to be $990,000 for a 2.2 to 1 return on investment. The smart power strips will be distributed to all AMC installations at no cost to each base.

Other energy saving initiatives in AMC include occupancy sensors and dimmer switches for lights. Speaking of lights, Kalmer says the days of humming fluorescent lights are coming to an end as the old P-12 lights with magnetic ballasts are replaced with P-8 lights that have electronic ballasts. What's more important, he said, is they save energy.

While smart power strips and occupancy sensors save electricity in buildings, AMC is also saving energy on the road.

"All diesel powered vehicles (in AMC) are capable of using B20 bio-diesel," said Michael D. Stebbins, a vehicle management specialist in AMC's Logistics Directorate. "Approximately 1300 vehicles, or 33 percent of the general purpose fleet, can use E85 gasoline. We also have 48 hybrid electric vehicles within the command."

Stebbins also said that Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., has been chosen as one of the locations for a Department of Defense study on the use of plug-in electric vehicles.

Writing about the study, an Air Force News article by Senior Master Sgt. Paul Dean from the Air Force Public Affairs Agency, explained that it is not only exploring the viability of plug-in vehicle use on the base, it is also investigating the use of vehicle-to-grid technology.

Vehicle-to-grid technology is the ability to use the battery in an electric vehicle as a power source. In the event of a brownout or power outage, the base could tap into the electric vehicle fleet to power lights, computers and other necessary electric items during an emergency.

Automatically turning off a radio might seem to be a waste of technology on one desk, but every kilowatt and gallon of fuel saved adds up to significant savings for the installation, the command, the Air Force and the taxpayer.

AMC/A7O, Installation and Mission Support Directorate's Operations Division, ensures major infrastructure systems such as airfields, roofs, heating and cooling, electrical distribution, water, wastewater and natural gas are supporting the mission. They work closely with the installations to determine impacts on mission, energy conservation and efficiency measures. Their energy vision is to "reduce demand through conservation and efficiency, increase supply through alternative energy sources where cost effective and create a culture where all Airmen make energy conservation a consideration in everything they do."

The PECI program's mission is "To provide expedited funding for capital acquisition projects which provide measurable benefits and real savings to the Air Force." Each year, PECI invests an average of $10-$11 million that will net an average life cycle savings of approximately $112 million. These investments have funded a wide variety of productivity improvements--from technology upgrades that increase administrative speed to major equipment purchases that increase base capabilities. While the details of each PECI project may vary, they all have two key elements in common: measurable benefits and real savings.