October is Energy Conservation Month Published Oct. 1, 2007 By 2nd Lt. C. Michaela Walrond 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs HANSCOM AFB, Mass. -- According to the United States Department of Energy, heating and cooling account for approximately 56 percent of the energy used in a typical U.S. home. When it comes to conserving energy, Hanscom is no exception. Not including the month of September, Hanscom's electric bill for fiscal year 2007 was close to $10 million, and the natural gas and fuel oil bills were about $2.5 million and $3 million respectively. With October being Energy Conservation Month, members of the 66th Mission Support Group Civil Engineering Office are working to educate the base community about various conservation methods. Keeping with this year's theme, "Clean and Green for a Secure Energy Future," Hanscom has already taken several steps to create awareness and provide solutions to conserve energy on base. Recently, the Energy Conservation Investment Program selected two Hanscom energy saving projects for fiscal year 2008 to fund. The two Hanscom projects, which amount to $2,630,000, include repairing 1,000 linear feet each of steam line and condensate line, and the installation of four new economizers, which include the replacement of the blowdown heat recovery for the four boilers at the steam plant, said Virginia Clor, Energy Manager for Del-Jen, Inc. Both projects will help to reduce energy consumption and cost. For example, by replacing deteriorating and leaking lines, more of the condensate can be returned to the plant in building 1201 to be turned back into steam. This reduces the need to add new water, which requires more energy to heat than condensate, Ms. Clor said. The steam line repairs are expected to pay for themselves in savings within 3 to 4 years. In addition, installing new economizers will ultimately lessen the amount of energy and fuel needed to turn water into steam at the steam plant, which is responsible for heating most of the base, she said. Other energy efficient projects the base has undergone include upgrading the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning in the Child Development Center, building 1994, along with the recent completion of various other HVAC improvements, said Chris Perkins, base civil engineer. "These projects combined with the efforts each individual makes in their own workplace, coincides with our goal of decreasing energy consumption by three percent each year. All bases need to actively conserve energy. We [Civil Engineering personnel] are always looking at ways to improve and update existing systems with more efficient equipment in order to exceed our goal," he said. When it comes to reaching the three percent goal, base projects are only part of the solution; responsibility also falls under each member of the base community, Ms. Clor said. "Simple things, such as turning off lights when they aren't being used, keeping temperatures of homes around 68 degrees during the winter and even switching to compact fluorescent lamps to save energy and cut pollution, are all ways that the community can take part in conserving energy," Ms. Clor said. Additional Energy Saving Tips: -- For three copies or less, use a printer; for more that three, use the copier. -- Laser printers use 300 watts of power per hour; Inkjets use only 10 watts of power per hour and provide similar quality. -- Using the "stand-by" button on a copier will lighten the energy load by 70 percent. -- Computer monitors use 60 watts of power per hour; monitors should be turned off if an individual is expected to be gone for more than 10 minutes. -- Using recycled paper reduces water use by 60 percent, energy by 70 percent and cuts pollution in half. -- Instead of driving a personal vehicle, try mass transit -- it uses 25 times less energy.