Win $10K for your ideas

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class John D. Partlow
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Tech. Sgt. John Spence, a civil engineer technician previously assigned to Yokota, was looking for ways to save his office some money. When he submitted an idea to the Innovative Development Through Employee Awareness program, he never expected to win $10,000. It's everyone's responsibility to conserve energy whenever possible, but you may not know that your idea could mean cash in your pocket.

If a Department of Defense employee thinks of an energy idea that could save the Air Force money, it can be submitted through the IDEA Program Data System for an opportunity to win up to $10,000.

Conserving energy is important here because Yokota residents rely on Japanese electricity. Though it's been more than a year since the March 11, 2011, earthquake and subsequent tsunami, Japanese electricity-producing companies have not returned to pre-earthquake output.

"Those companies continue to operate on decreased capacity," said Chris Cook, 374th Civil Engineer Squadron energy manager. "Japanese nuclear power plants provided much of this capacity but those nuclear plants are now inoperable. The utility companies may have trouble generating the power needed during the summer when electricity usage is the highest."

"Not conserving energy results in increased costs and a waste of natural resources," he continued. "Negative impacts become more severe if electric power utility providers can't keep up with demand."

As Yokota heads into another summer, residents are urged to conserve energy, especially throughout the months of August and September.

"Those summer months are especially important because during this period, all of the air-conditioning is on and electricity usage is at its highest," said Cook.

While you're brainstorming ways to conserve energy and planning how to spend the dollars IDEA could give you,

- Open blinds to allow more light in, which will minimize the need for overhead lighting.

- Keep doors and windows closed when using air conditioning.

- Plug electronics into a surge protector and switch it off when no equipment is in use.

- When opening the refrigerator and freezer, remove all of the needed items at one time. Opening the door repeatedly requires more energy to keep the items inside cold.

- Turn off lights while away to minimize energy usage by only lighting rooms that are being occupied.

- Turn lights off in hallways wherever possible.

- Turn off the lights before exiting the restroom.

Contact the base energy manager at energy.manager@yokota.af.mil or 225-SAVE to learn more about the cash for conservation program.