AETC puts energy into program Published April 25, 2007 By Michael Briggs Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Mike Snedeker was a student at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Glen Ellyn, Ill., in the early 1960s when he first saw a Frank Capra film that impacted his life. It wasn't "It's a Wonderful Life" or "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" that captured his imagination. Rather it was a lesser-known science documentary called "Our Mr. Sun," produced by the famous director to educate school children about how the sun's rays affect the earth. The introduction of such topics as photovoltaic cells and nuclear fusion piqued the interest of young Mike Snedeker and remained with him throughout his life. Now the deputy director of plans, requirements and programs at Air Education and Training Command, Mr. Snedeker said people today could learn something from the simple concepts in "Our Mr. Sun." "The film made clear even then that we had a 'fixed endowment' of stored energy on the planet we'd have to use wisely until we figured out how to use directly the vast amounts the sun sends us daily," Mr. Snedeker said. "The film had several points to consider that ring increasingly true today. The world's available supplies of fossil fuels are indeed finite, as are those of uranium and its by-products. We'll eventually use them up. With sun power we could extend these supplies and, hopefully, wean ourselves from them before they run out. We need to actively pursue the technologies that will enable that transition." As avid energy conservationists, Mr. Snedeker and his wife, Becky, are putting into practice some of the topics Capra introduced on those reels of 16-millimeter film more than 50 years ago. They have taken measures over the past several years to reduce their home energy use, such as switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs, installing solar screens, doubling the attic insulation and putting an insulation kit on the garage doors. This has helped cut their electricity use from a peak of 17,000 kilowatt hours per year to about 12,500. That saves them $50 a month during the height of the cooling season from June through September. The couple plans to take their conservation to the "greenest" level in five years or so when they build a new house using technology like solar panels that will allow them to produce their own energy. Their desire to become energy self-sufficient comes at a time when gasoline prices are again approaching $3 a gallon, natural gas prices are through the roof and petroleum markets in increasingly volatile parts of the world provide no guarantees of a stable supply of products down the road. The Snedekers are not the only people focused on saving energy. About a half-hour drive east from their home in west San Antonio, a group of people want to use similar innovations to realize energy savings on a much grander scale. The newly formed AETC Energy Management Council here plans to lower energy bills throughout the command. The council, chaired by Lt. Gen. Dennis Larsen, AETC vice commander, met in early April to develop its goals. "We will first adhere to the vision of the Air Force Energy Program by creating a culture that makes energy a consideration in all we do," General Larsen said. "We will foster innovations and put plans into action to make AETC the Air Force benchmark in energy efficiency and use of alternative energy. That's our command vision." The council was stood up to ensure AETC complies with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and Executive Order 13423 that have mandated federal agencies meet certain energy reduction milestones. Beyond the basic compliance with the law, however, the more enduring results of better energy management are money savings, environmental protection and national security. "The dollars saved through energy conservation certainly help us conduct our operations more effectively by allowing us to focus more on the mission and less on the utility bills," General Larsen said, "but beyond that, it's the right thing to do for our bases, the Air Force and the nation. If an organization as large as ours can realize effective energy savings, anyone can. And we will lead by that example." The EMC will focus its efforts on three areas: facilities, transportation and aviation, said Lt. Col. David Yang, chief of the AETC Civil Engineer Operations Branch. Council members from those areas are determining baselines, developing metrics and forming action plans that will help their activities achieve energy reduction goals. "Since future energy program goals will be based on our past performance baseline, it is important for us to take stock of where we came from before we launch the program forward in a new direction," Colonel Yang said. "A review will help us take inventory of our past and current energy management practices and will also help us identify performance gaps so we can achieve the expected efficiency goals." The working groups will report back to the entire EMC in August when the council will review proposed metrics and plans, said Garland Scott, AETC energy manager "We now have a 2003 baseline and began tracking against it in 2006, so we're in the second year of the new energy program," Mr. Scott said. The challenge, he added, will be for units in the command to achieve the same reduction goals as in the past when programs were measured against energy consumption rates in 1985. "In 1985 we were really bad in efficiency, and in 2003 we were a lot better," he said. "Now we're measuring the new program from a cleaner and leaner baseline, which will make it tougher to meet the percent reduction." Despite the challenge, units throughout the command are already taking steps to meet goals in advance of the guidelines the EMC will provide. Here at Randolph and at Maxwell AFB, Ala., for example, they're turning off computers at night, controlling thermostats more effectively by adhering to temperature limits and monitoring facilities to ensure compliance, Mr. Scott said. Reducing energy consumption in a large organization is the same as cutting use at home. It just takes a larger effort to get more people to commit to the program, Mr. Scott said. "Whatever you do in your house to conserve energy is what you should be doing in the workplace," he said. "For example, if you're going to be out of the room for awhile, turn off the lights. It's all about creating a culture where everybody thinks about energy in their day-to-day lives. We want to develop this mindset so we're all working together to reduce our energy use." That's the type of focus Mike Snedeker maintains it will take to be successful, not just throughout AETC, but throughout the nation. "From the practical standpoint, energy costs are high and steadily increasing," he said. "From a national security standpoint, the Air Force uses approximately one percent of all the petroleum consumed in the United States. I'd like to make sure we have a steady supply. "From a societal standpoint, I'd like to make certain we continue to have the oil for the fuel we need to provide public transportation, run and fertilize farms, produce needed medicines and plastics, and the myriad other products made from it. When the oil is gone, we'll be converting coal as fast as we can. Conservation will delay those days, hold down costs, and make certain those who follow us will have at least some of it to work with."