By Sean CW Korsgaard
CP Reporter
Fort A.P. Hill’s efforts to go green are bearing fruit, and several members on base will be taking home gold as a result.
During the Exchange Symposium held in Tampa, Florida, late last month, J. Randall Robinson, acting assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, and Ms. Carla Coulson, acting deputy assistant chief of staff for Installation Management, presented thirteen 2017 Secretary of the Army Energy and Water Management Awards, and one of the recipients was a team from Fort A.P. Hill.
Taking home an award for energy conservation, a team from the Fort A.P. Hill’s Directorate of Public Works consisting of Troy Smith, Sergio Sergi, Terry Banks and Mr. Benjamin McBride, earned recognition for their work on dramatically reducing energy consumption on base through numerous energy efficiency projects and an aggressive building management program.
Specific projects the team was cited for included the installation of an exterior finish and insulation system on ten transient training barracks, replacement of fuel oil fired hot water boilers and split system air conditioning units in three dining facilities with more efficient and cleaner hybrid systems, and the installation of high-efficient windows in training support buildings.
“From the installation perspective, we know that installation readiness is critical to warfighter readiness, the Army has 156 Installations and a total of almost a billion square feet in building space,” said Robinson. “Because of this, the Army’s Installation efforts are focused on readiness and mission accomplishment through commodity reduction and energy and water security improvement.”
Were that not enough, less than a week later, on August 28, eight U.S. Army units, groups and agencies have been selected to receive the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Federal Energy and Water Management Awards, and among them, jointly named among the eight award recipients once again, was the same team from Fort A.P. Hill.
Implementing energy and water saving initiatives on Fort A.P. Hill offered a series of unique challenges compared to other military bases, given there are no industrial or commercial operations, power generation facilities, or centralized heating and cooling systems anywhere on post, and given that the base itself is made up of clusters of small standalone buildings with ever-changing occupants grouped in radically different parts of the base.
The team approached this challenge by executing effective improvement projects, proactive building management, and interactive conservation awareness that helped to reduce the base’s fiscal year 2016 energy intensity by 23.4 percent from the prior year, resulting in a utility savings of more than $583,000, despite an increase in building square footage of 35 percent.
The base’s fuel oil use was also reduced by 93 percent, almost 50,000 gallons, compared to the prior year, through conversion of fuel oil fired heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems to propane or electric.
In addition to savings in energy and maintenance costs, converting fuel oil burning equipment eliminated the need for above and below ground storage tanks, which created environmental concerns due to potential leaks and ground water contamination.
The award recognizes individuals, groups, and agencies for their outstanding contributions in the areas of energy efficiency, water conservation, and the use of advanced and renewable energy technologies at federal facilities. The formal award ceremony will be held at the National Archives in Washington D.C. on November 2, 2017.
Loading ...