Story by Jonelle Kimbrough, Strategic Communicator
Army Reserve Installation Management Directorate
The United States Army Reserve strives to protect its critical energy assets for the missions of today and the missions of tomorrow. Often, facility occupants are the first lines of defense, and Building Energy Monitors lead the charge for conservation.
Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico boasts a robust Building Energy Monitor Program. Dmitrii Cordero Mojica of Fort Buchanan’s Directorate of Public Works and Heather Brown of Army Reserve Sustainability Programs trained 30 Building Energy Monitors during Earth Day observances in April.
In their roles, Building Energy Monitors will thoroughly assess facilities and identify opportunities for energy conservation. They will educate their peers and encourage sustainable practices. They will also collaborate with Energy Managers at Installations, Regional Support Commands and the Mission Support Command. Ultimately, their efforts impact the development of energy projects that save resources and avoid costs for the Army Reserve. Colonel Glenn Kiesewetter, Director of the Army Reserve Installation Management Directorate, called Building Energy Monitors the “force multipliers in the Army Reserve’s Energy Program.”
The Building Energy Monitors at Fort Buchanan certainly heed their callings. During their training, they addressed instances of energy waste in the Installation’s 1300 area, which is slated for demolition. Cordero Mojica and his colleagues investigated the claims in facility surveys. So far, the team has identified and corrected 27,332 kilowatt hours of energy wastes that represent a cost avoidance of nearly $5,000 each year. The Directorate of Public Works will inspect more 1300 area facilities in the future.
“Fort Buchanan is well on track toward the Army Reserve’s energy goals,” said Cordero Mojica, the Installation’s Resource Efficiency Manager. “Building Energy Monitor training is key at our Installation for the advancement and sustainment of the goals established in our Energy Conservation Management Action Plan. This training will create awareness of energy conservation efforts and push our facility coordinators and environmental compliance officers toward mission readiness, sustainability efforts and community resilience.”
The successes of the Building Energy Monitor Program, and other energy initiatives, are apparent at Fort Buchanan. The Installation reduced its energy use intensity by 9.5 percent in fiscal year 2016, compared to the 2015 baseline. As an enterprise, the Army Reserve reduced its energy use intensity by 17.9 percent, for a cost avoidance of $6.7 million or the level of funding to conduct nine training missions. Fort Buchanan contributed 6.8 percent of that entire reduction.
Energy conservation is a top priority for the Department of Defense and Goal One of the Army Reserve Energy Security Implementation Strategy. Building Energy Monitors, at Fort Buchanan and beyond, are achieving this goal by shaping resource-conscious Soldiers, Civilians and Families for generations to come.
usarsustainabilitydotcom.wordpress.com 