Industry days focus on energy savings

  • Published
  • By Sarah Olaciregui
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Representatives from Hanscom's Civil Engineering Division, Small Business Office and Operational Contracting office, as well as the Government Services Administration, Navy CE, MIT Lincoln Labs, Army Corps of Engineers, Westover ARB, Mass. and other government entities gathered at the Hanscom Conference Center Dec. 11 and 12 to learn about the latest technology to reduce energy usage and costs.

CE teamed up with Operational Contracting to offer the two day industry forum. More than 10 energy sector vendors and consultants attended to present ideas and talk about their services.

Bruce Finley, base energy manager, welcomed attendees during the opening remarks.

"I'm excited about where we're going with energy," he said. "This forum is about sharing ideas and seeing what objectives we can achieve together."

Finley also described the opportunities and challenges with energy at Hanscom.

"Our base facilities are primarily administrative or technical," he said. "Most infrastructure is from the 1950s. We have a lot of concrete masonry buildings, which doesn't lend a lot to energy efficiency, but we're making strides."

He went on to talk about the base's master plan to create a "Town Hanscom" feel in regards to consistency and design and looked forward to hearing ideas from industry partners on how to achieve the base's goal.

After the welcoming remarks, the GSA and small business office described their ability to leverage strategies to meet federal energy needs. Over the next two days, industry partners presented ideas on air purification, solar power, procuring electricity through green power sources, peak demand curtailment, energy software, metering infrastructure, geothermal heat and even a presentation on window treatments for energy conservation.

The energy industry forum falls within government mandates to reduce energy intensity and water consumption by 2015. In addition, the Air Force's energy vision -- making energy a consideration in all we do -- highlights that energy is central to all Airmen and their continued mission execution success.

The Air Force Energy goals include increasing supply, reducing demand and fostering a culture of awareness.

From this point, Operational Contracting will work with CE and other base agencies to bring some of the energy saving solutions to Hanscom.

For further information about energy reduction at Hanscom, email inquiries to 66 ABG/CEK Energy, or contact Bruce Finley at 781-225-5594 or bruce.finley@hanscom.af.mil. For more information on energy awareness, visit the Air Force's Energy Initiative website at www.af.mil/energyintiatives.