Turn off the lights or get "ticketed" Published Jan. 18, 2008 By Amy Oliver 1st SOW Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- "Turn the lights out ... it's time to leave!" Undoubtedly, this order is given in households across America every morning as families are leaving their homes on their way to work and school, but quite often this message is forgotten when people are leaving the office for the day. "We need to conserve energy in our work space the same as we do in our own home," said Col. Mike Smietana, 1st Special Operations Mission Support Group commander. In an effort to raise awareness about energy conservation on base and to promote habits that reduce our overall usage, the "Energy Police," also known as the 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron's maintenance engineering section, have begun no-notice inspections of units on base. "Once a month, in the early evening after everyone has gone home, we inspect one building in each of the 1st Special Operations Wing groups and one partner unit building to see what people are doing to conserve energy," said 1st Lt. Tyler Johnson, 1st SOCES maintenance engineering chief. "Then we report our findings to Col. Smietana who in turn reports it to the wing commander. Building custodians will be notified of the reports." According to Jennifer Cooper, the base energy manager, Hurlburt hasn't met its energy goals which are mandated by presidential order and closely tracked by Air Staff. Executive Order 13423, which identifies reduction requirements, was signed in January 2007. These requirements included a 35 percent reduction in energy consumption by 2015. The goal for fiscal year 2007 was six percent. Hurlburt fell short of meeting this goal. The intent of the current awareness campaign is to assist the base in meeting the goal for fiscal year 2008, which is eight percent. Staying off the energy police's naughty list is really quite easy. Turn off the lights before leaving to go home every evening, as well as all other energy-consuming equipment not needed during the overnight hours such as copiers, computers, radios, coffee pots and fans. Additionally, space heaters should not be used as supplemental heat for individual work areas. If employees feel their areas are too cold, they should notify their building managers to contact CE customer service. Individual microwaves and refrigerators should also be eliminated in personal work spaces and limited to common break areas. "Reaching these energy goals will take the effort of everyone who works and lives on Hurlburt," Ms. Cooper said. To schedule an energy audit, call Lt. Johnson at 884-7591. End of day energy conservation checklist - Turn off desk, office and restroom lights - Turn off monitor - Shut down computer over weekends and during extended absences - Set thermostat to 65-68 degrees in winter and 74-78 degrees in summer