October marks National Energy Awareness Month. This year’s theme, “Enhancing Mission Assurance through Energy Assurance,” resonates Energy (Electricity, gas, steam, and water); energy is a critical component to mission success.
Through day-to-day operations and projects, Hill AFB is working hard year-round to meet stringent energy conservation goals set by federal mandates and by the Air Force Sustainment Center, which recently updated the Air Force Strategic Plan by incorporating energy security and operational energy into their strategic energy priorities, goals, and objectives.
Energy projects are only part of the solution. As individuals, we are all responsible for how we use energy. How many times have you walked out of a room and left the lights on? What about leaving your television, stereo, or computer turned on overnight? Or how about letting your vehicle idle while the air conditioner cools or heater warms the interior? Everyone is guilty of these things but with October being Energy Awareness Month, we encourage everyone to pay attention to the energy that we use and oftentimes waste.
Every member of the Air Force and civilian and contractor personnel should make energy efficiency a priority in all they do. Great energy savings are possible through the development of energy-saving strategies, infrastructure improvement, and shared best practices. Education and innovation cultivate an energy-aware culture that values energy as a mission-critical resource. Let us take this opportunity to talk about energy and how to save it with colleagues, friends, and family. Teach children the value of energy and show them by example how to use it wisely. Every day, each of us can change our habits and attitude.
In celebration of Energy Awareness Month, a ‘Living Energy Aware’ art contest will kick off the festivities. Sixth graders from Lomond View Elementary School and Uintah Elementary School will be creating pictures themed on one of the following topics: energy savings, new energy sources, and what transportation could look like in the future. The winners and their pictures will be highlighted in the Hilltop Times and will receive a prize.
The Energy Management Office and local utility companies will host a senior leaders ‘lunch and learn’ that will be held Oct. 12, 2017, in building 593S from 11 a.m. to noon. Speakers from Dominion-Quester Energy, the 309th Missile Maintenance Group, and the Hill Energy Management Office will discuss “How Energy Ensures Resiliency.” Those interested in attending should contact the Energy Outreach Office at 801-777-5419.
On Oct. 18, 2017, the Energy Awareness Fair will be held at the Base Exchange from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This event is open for all to learn more about how to do all we can to save electricity, gas, and water, and protecting our natural resources, nation’s security, and environmental well-being for the future. Base Exchange restaurants will be offering special food deals for the event.
In addition, an Energy Reduction Contest across multiple buildings began Oct. 2, 2017, and will run through December 2017. Each building will be competing against its own past three-year electrical consumption averages; the building that has the largest reduction in power below its past consumption averages will be crowned the winner.
Energy Awareness Month is held annually to refresh our minds about the importance of living energy assured. The Air Force defines energy assurance as the activities across three main categories- preparation and planning, mitigation and response, and education and outreach-focused on the goal of energy resiliency. Energy resiliency is the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to changing conditions and withstand, respond to, and recover rapidly from energy disruptions.
A positive and successful future depends on our planning and preparation today.
