Six days in; life's already warmer

by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson
35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

10/29/2012 - MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Throughout the base, six boiler plants are strategically located and manned by Japanese locals at all hours. On Oct. 23, 2012, the employees opened the valves and began distributing steam through the lines on base and the heat has been warming up base resident's homes for the past six days.

"With the steam pressure applied to the distribution lines, it means people can turn on the heat in their homes," said Master Sgt. Christopher Cluff, 35th Civil Engineer Squadron operations infrastructure superintendent.

With the temperature steadily dropping, this is good news for housing and dorm residents. Based on Misawa's history with harsh winters, it will not be long before the electric blankets and Snuggies just won't cut it anymore. But, before you begin cranking up the heat, please remember that keeping base infrastructures toasty costs approximately $25,000 a day.

Also, according to the 35 CES resource management flight, the money collected from conserving heat could be used to fund other Air Force needs.

"If everyone does a little bit to cut back on consumption it would help out significantly with the Air Force costs," added Cari Schroeder, 35 CES resource efficiency management. "If we brought that money back to the Air Force, we might not have so many budget cuts."

Some ways to save on heat consumption include:

· Keeping the heat at 20 degrees Celsius or below.
· Turning off the heat when nobody is at home.
· Leaving the curtains open during the day, which lets natural light in to warm the room and closing the curtains at night to help keep the heat inside.
· Wearing extra layers of clothing.

By practicing these heat-saving tips, future home owners can make saving money for their utility bill second nature.

"If you get in the habit of conserving energy while in the military, it may become easier for you to save money when you're back in the civilian world," said Schroeder. "Following any one of these tips could easily help you save $20 a month."

Refraining from leaving doors and windows open for an extended period of time is another way to conserve heat. As mentioned before, $25,000 is working hard to warm your home, said Capt. Reid Touchberry, 35 CES chief of plans and programs.

"Like my momma always said," added Touchberry. "We're not heating the outside, so keep the doors and windows closed."

Schroeder and Touchberry believe, whether it's keeping a job or making momma proud, there are many reasons to conserve heat.

For heating complications and questions on conserving energy, the resource management suggests calling the CE costumer service hotline at 226-WORK.