Moody soars past energy goal

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Melissa K. Mekpongsatorn
  • 23d Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Although, the Air Force is the largest energy user in the federal government, Moody is making several efforts to reduce energy consumption.

The Department of Defense's goal for this year is to reduce energy consumption by 21 percent. Team Moody has surpassed that goal with a 23 percent energy reduction, but with the summer months rolling in and the temperatures rising that percentage could go down.

During the summer air conditioners turn on and energy usage goes up, according to Robert Montgomery, 23d Wing energy manager. Montgomery encourages Moody members to follow a couple of tips for staying cool while keeping energy consumption low.

"South Georgia is just too hot not to use the air conditioning but there are ways to do it more efficiently, such as keeping the thermostats set at 76 and keeping windows and blinds closed," said Montgomery.

Installation of daylight controls, motion sensor lights, capacitors were put into the large air conditioning units on base and solar assisted water heaters were installed at the dining facility to help reduce energy usage. Moody has also launched a quarterly award program to recognize facilities that reduce their energy consumption by the greatest amount.

It is a work in progress and for the first time in a couple of years we are meeting our goal, said Montgomery. Every little bit helps; energy has to be a consideration in everything we do, he added.

A couple ways every person on base can play a part in conserving energy is by logging off the computer at the end of the day or getting rid of appliances that are no longer used.

At the end of the day remember one simple acronym A-C-T-I-O-N, appliance reduction, computer log-off, temperature set-points, inform facility managers, outdoor conservation, and no waste.

If everyone works together and Moody maintains its goal of 21 percent energy reduction at the end of the year, Moody will save the Air Force approximately $400,000.