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$2.5 million invested in energy saving projects

  • Published
  • By Susan Griggs
  • 81st Training Wing Public Affairs
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Keesler has garnered $2.5 million from centralized funds approved strictly for energy conservation measure projects. The Air Force has $250 million set aside for energy conservation projects. Air Education and Training Command selected two Keesler initiatives as viable ways to reduce the base's energy consumption - a chilled water loop project and modernization of lighting systems in 16 buildings.

"These two projects are the beginning of additional CHW loop projects currently being designed and facility lighting enhancements combined with controls being planned," base energy manager Okel Castleberry explained. "We anticipate future energy conservation opportunities and centralized energy funding to update and upgrade inefficient energy systems on Keesler."

"These funds are limited and very competitive, requiring each energy project to meet efficiency and financial credibility," he noted.

The chilled water loop project affects the entire Triangle area from the mini mall to Garrard Hall.

"Expanding this CHW loop will not only increase cooling reliability in our hot, humid summers, but also slash 165,000 kilowatt hours from our monthly electric bill, saving Keesler nearly $140,000 annually," said Adrian Barcomb, Keesler's resource efficiency manager. "The saving is accomplished by utilizing centralized and virtual chiller plants to service multiple buildings."

The lighting modernization project includes new or retrofitted fixtures and lighting control systems. This includes 8,717 fixtures and 550 occupancy sensors installed in classrooms, office areas, hallways and hangars. The upgrades not only reduce energy consumption, but also improve facility lighting conditions.

"When you consider the size and mission of the facilities that we have on Keesler, it is easy to understand that energy conservation is a big deal," said Master Sgt. Bill Collum Jr., facility manager for Bryan Hall. "Our facility has about 150 rooms, each occupied for no less than 10 hours a day, and many that run for 18 hours or more. When you add the training equipment and cost to manage the environmental conditions such as heat and humidity in south Mississippi, we can burn a lot of power in a short amount of time.

"The installation of higher efficiency lights, with a brighter output, and motion detectors that shut the lights off when rooms are unoccupied will have a great pay-off in reducing the power consumption for our building,"

Sergeant Collum added. Hector Santiago, CSC electrical engineer, expects the lighting upgrade to yield a minimum of 39 percent energy savings while providing greater visual acuity, color rendering and a more even spread of light on the task areas.

"There'll be a great impact on savings after duty hours, weekends and holidays with the installation of occupancy sensors," Mr. Santiago pointed out.

Some hangars will receive a lighting upgrade to include the removal of inefficient high intensity discharge metal halide or high pressure sodium lighting fixtures and replacement with highly efficient T5/HO fluorescent lighting fixtures.

Each energy project is driven by federal laws and executive orders that require each federal installation to reduce energy use by 3 percent annually.

"Keesler has met that challenge head-on, but missed the goal by 1 percent last year," Mr. Barcomb pointed out. "It takes each person at Keesler to assist us in meeting or exceeding the 30 percent reduction goal by 2015. Identifying future energy projects are vital, but so are turning off that unnecessary light. Each of us must be a part of the energy solution and make energy a consideration in all we do."

To suggest energy conservation ideas, call 377-5859.
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