Leadership develops energy-saving strategies for McChord

McChord Air Force Base, Wash. -- With a utility budget of more than $6 million a year, conserving energy at McChord is a top priority.

The Energy Management Steering Group, which is composed of wing and group commanders, is scheduled to meet with the 62nd Civil Engineer Squadron in the coming weeks to review energy reduction goals and their status, said Andrea Griffin, 62nd CES' deputy chief maintenance engineer.

The focus of the group is to make energy conservation a collective base effort, said 1st Lt. Joe Myhra, 62nd CES.

"It's nice that we can [get] the group and wing commanders to vote on and help set the energy policies here on base," Ms. Griffin said.

The energy-saving policies that EMSG sets here are crucial as Air Mobility Command is requiring the base to take a 5 percent cut in utility funding in the near future, Lieutenant Myhra said.

Lately the base has been exceeding its energy reduction goals, Ms. Griffin said.
"We've been doing something right," she said.

Some of the policies the EMSG will discuss include setting base-wide standards for building temperatures, maintenance goals for heating and air conditioning systems and building lighting retrofits.

The group will also discuss having energy meters installed at as many buildings as possible, so that it is easier to identify where to focus energy conservation efforts, Ms. Griffin said.

The energy conservation effort is also being extended to the 62nd Logistics Readiness Squadron when it comes to cost-saving measures such as using alternative fuels in base vehicles.

The 62nd CES is also looking to propose future energy projects to the board that will pay for themselves in ten years, Ms. Griffin said.

"We think that [we] can get some funding [for the projects] because of the interest AMC and the Air Force have in energy conservation," Lieutenant Myhra said.