Operation Change Out big success

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  • By 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  In a joint effort between the U. S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Energy, all 64 major Air Force installations across the country have signed up for a national campaign known as Operation Change Out.

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices. The U.S. Department of Energy's overarching mission is to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States; to promote scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission; and to ensure the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex.

Hurlburt Field has changed out 1,600 inefficient, incandescent light bulbs with Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL). This effort will save 451,200 kilowatt hours of electricity, $47,827 on energy bills, and prevent 1,374,400 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, over the lifetime of the bulbs.

"As trusted stewards of our resources, I challenge everyone living and working on Hurlburt Field to follow the Air Force lead by changing out incandescent bulbs with new energy-efficient CFLs," said Colonel Gregory Lengyel, commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing.

In the past year, beginning with Earth Day 2008, the Air Force has changed out 228,000 bulbs. This will save millions of pounds of greenhouse gases and enough energy to power 3,841 homes for a year. The Air Force will save $7.5 million over the lifetime of the bulbs.

Energy Star-qualified CFLs have many benefits:
· CFLs use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
· Save about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime.
· Produce about 75 percent less heat, so they're safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling.
· Are available in different sizes and shapes to fit in almost any fixture, for indoors and outdoors.

The AFSOC Energy Conservation Policy mentions specific items to be considered regarding energy conservation. One requirement is for AFSOC to strive to reduce energy demand by decreasing energy consumption.

"This is a no-brainer. By changing out these inefficient light bulbs, we're already a huge step in the right direction towards meeting the policy objectives," said Col. Lengyel.