Air Force Bases Participate in Energy-saving Campaign

American Forces Press Service

April 22, 2009 - All 64 major Air Force bases in the United States are participating in a campaign to change out incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, or CFLs. "Energy Star Operation Change Out: The Military Challenge" is a joint campaign between the Defense and Energy departments.

Officials at the Air Force Facility Energy Center, part of the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency here, and the major commands coordinated the effort with base energy managers to encourage facility lighting audits and to schedule bulb change-outs. Many people turned it into a grassroots effort.

At Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., for example, energy manager Jeff Morgan spent several days delivering two CFLs and energy awareness brochures to the doorsteps of 1,000 military families. The $5,000 investment at Charleston alone will save the Air Force an estimated $43,254 over the lifetime of the bulbs.

In the past year, beginning with Earth Day 2008, Air Force participants have changed out more than 228,000 bulbs. This will save millions of pounds of greenhouse gases and enough energy to power 3,841 homes for a year, officials said. The Air Force will save $7.5 million over the lifetime of the bulbs.

Energy Star-qualified CFLs have many benefits:

-- They use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs, and last up to 10 times longer;

-- They save about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime;

-- They produce about 75 percent less heat, so they're safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling; and

-- They are available in different sizes and shapes to fit in almost any fixture, indoors or outdoors.

Energy Star is a joint program of the Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, helping to save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices.

(From an Air Force news release.)