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Helping Fort Bragg stay green
by Eve Meinhardt
Paraglide
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graphic by Mark Weckman/Paraglide |
October is Energy Awareness Month and Paul Hora, the Fort Bragg energy awareness manager from Sandhills Utility Services, is keeping busy. To remind Soldiers, Family members, civilian employees and contractors about the importance of conserving energy and solicit ideas for future energy conservation efforts, he is visiting numerous sites across Fort Bragg throughout the month. On Oct. 1 he was at the South Post Commissary, answering questions and handing out promotional materials.
Hora said saving energy is simple.
“Energy efficiency is easy as long as people are conscious of the actions,” he said. “You can save up to 10 or 15 percent on energy bills just by changing your behavior. This is without spending any money on energy saving devices.”
The federal government is the largest energy user in the United States, said Hora. As one of the largest military installations, he said it is important for Soldiers, civilian employees and contractors to be conscious of their energy usage at the office.
“Turning off peripherals, like printers and fax machines can make a big difference, as well as turning the lights off when leaving for the day along with heating or air conditioning units,” said Hora. “Being energy conscious is everyone’s responsibility.”
Hora said that Fort Bragg’s energy usage has gone down, but the decrease does not mean employees are doing the best they can to conserve energy.
“We are meeting the federal mandate right now, but our numbers aren’t realistic because a large portion of the population is deployed. It is important that everyone make an effort to conserve energy so we can keep our usage down and continue to meet the mandate,” he said.
Roy Martin, a retired sergeant first class, offered an energy conservation idea that he said was successful when he served at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
Martin said that the buildings had meters installed where they could monitor their energy usage and hold themselves accountable for keeping their numbers low. He said he has seen a lot of people wasting energy over the years.
“I had a neighbor that used to keep the tap running all day so her dog could drink from it whenever he was thirsty,” Martin said.
Martin said he takes steps at home to keep energy usage low, including buying Energy Star appliances and wearing more clothes instead of turning up the heat in the winter months.
Hora said investing in Energy Star appliances is an important step for everyone.
“Not only are all federal facilities required to start using Energy Star appliances, but it saves people money and energy at home, too,” he said. “The other appliance may be cheaper initially, but it will end up costing you more in energy and that will keep adding up.”
Hora added that Fort Bragg is planning to start using renewable energy sources in the future. One idea is to install solar panels over some parking lots.
These will not only provide electricity for the installation, but also provide a shaded parking structure for employees and visitors allowing them to conserve energy by not having to run the air conditioner as high for as long to cool off their car.
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