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Army exceeds energy-reduction goal for FY03

Army News Service

Release Date: 12/23/2003

By Gary Sheftick

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 23, 2003) -- Conservation, more-efficient systems and projects such as wind-generated power helped the Army exceed its energy-reduction goal of 1.5 percent for fiscal year 2003.

The Army used about 1 trillion less British Thermal Units, or BTUS, in FY 2003 than the year before, officials said. They added that compared to 1985, the Army has reduced its energy consumption by 30.3 percent.

More than $500 million in energy-saving projects across the Army over the past several years were financed by private industry, said Satish Sharma, chief of the Utilities Branch for the Army's office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management.

Under the Energy Savings Performance Contracts, private firms invested in projects that will hopefully reap the government savings, and thus bring the firms profits in the long run, Sharma said. For instance, Viron and Pepco partnered to spend $100 million improving lighting, chillers and boilers at five installations within the Military District of Washington.

T8 florescent tubes, the most-efficient lighting ccording to Sharma, replaced older incandescent lights at MDW posts. The money the Army saves will eventually be used to repay Viron and Pepco for the installation, Sharma said, along with a bit extra as a return on their investment.

More than $30 million was invested by Chevron-Texaco, the energy-savings company at Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pa., to install new gas-fired boilers in each facility. The gas systems replaced old, less-efficient coal fired central boilers that circulated hot water across post through pipes that were in disrepair.

Other energy-saving projects were paid for through direct federal funding. The Army spent $12 million this past year under the Energy Conservation Investment Program, managed by ACSIM engineer Henry Gignilliat.

High-efficiency heating systems were installed at Fort Drum, N.Y. Digital controls for heating and lighting were installed at Fort Campbell, Ky. And more efficient steam systems were installed at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, Okla., Gignilliat said.

The Army also has continued to expand sources for "green power," such as solar power used at forts Huachuca, Ariz; Carson, Colo., and Yuma Proving Ground, N.M. This year the Army purchased wind-generated power from windmills in West Virginia for three posts near the nation's capital: Fort McNair, D.C.; and Walter Reed Army Medical Center; and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, Md.

"We have always been open to new technology and new ideas," Sharma said.

"We were on the cutting edge," Sharma said, "in front of industry in many cases." He explained that in 1988, the Army first tried geothermal heat pumps and solar heating for commercial applications.

Conservation also helped save energy, Sharma said, adding that tenants can have a major positive impact by using what energy they need and turning off energy sources when not required. He said the fact many units deployed to Kuwait and Iraq this year really didn't save much energy, though, because most posts geared up for mobilization and some brought thousands of Army Reserve and National Guard troops onto the installation.

In actual energy usage, the Army consumed about 80.8 trillion British Thermal Units in FY 2003. This was a reduction of 1.55 percent from FY 2002, ACSIM officials said. They added that the Army is "on target" to reduce energy consumption by another 5 percent before the end of FY 2010, a goal set by a presidential executive order.

"It's going to be difficult down the stretch," Sharma admitted, though, because many of the easier and most obvious projects to save energy have already been accomplished.

"All the low-hanging fruit is gone," was the way ACSIM's Bob Sperberg put it.

"We're really counting on the private sector to keep putting the projects in," Sharma added.