Energy conservation campaign still ongoing at Yokota

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Robin Stanchak
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  With energy conservation efforts still an extremely important concern for both Yokota and the country of Japan following the Tohoku earthquake March 11, base personnel and residents are reminded of its importance, as well as of ways they can contribute to help save, especially during the peak load hours from noon to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

During this time, because of severe disruption to electrical power generation capacity in Japan, Tokyo Electric Power Company customers, including Yokota, may not be able to receive all of the electrical power required to operate as normal.

That is why it is imperative that each member of Team Yokota do their part to contribute during this energy conservation campaign.

"The peak load hours are during the hottest part of the day and that's when most power is being used. It is usually during weekdays when people are at work; this is when lighting, computers and air conditioning are up and running in addition to usage in residential housing areas," said Christopher Cook, energy manager assigned to the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron.

"Using air conditioning can almost double our power usage during the peak load hours and lighting has been estimated to comprise almost 40 percent of a building's total energy consumption," added Mr. Cook. "This is why turning off non-essential lighting and cooling is so important."

Reducing lighting and cooling usage are just a part of a larger initiative underway at Yokota.

Recently, Col. Otto Feather, commander of the 374th Airlift Wing, signed a memorandum into effect for all residents and occupants on Yokota with instructions on what to do at work and at home.

- Facility managers must keep building thermostats set to no lower than 78 F/25.5 C and unplug any water fountains with a refrigeration unit. Interior and exterior lighting will be kept to a minimum at all times; as a minimum, one-half of all lights will be turned off, or one-half "delamped."

- All Yokota residents and employees must turn off and unplug all non-mission essential electronics between noon to 5 p.m. Residents should not operate dishwashing, laundry and house cleaning appliances (ex. vacuum, iron) during peak load hours of noon to 5.m.

- Air conditioning systems in family housing are either a thermostat controlled centralized system, individual window-type system or individually controlled fan-coil system. All air conditioning systems, regardless of the type, will be set no lower than 78 F/25.5 C from noon to 5 p.m. daily.

- Unit commanders will identify operational equipment requiring a large electric load and limit use during the peak hours of noon to 5 p.m. to only mission essential operations. Unit commanders may authorize alternate work schedules to avoid high electrical demand activities during peak demand hours.

"We are always looking for ways to reduce our energy consumption. This is why it's so important for each person to look at their own work area to see how it can be improved, because no one else knows that space better than they do," said Mr. Cook.

"We constantly audit buildings for energy saving ideas, but if an individual comes up with an idea or recognizes an area for improvement, they can e-mail us directly at energy.manager@yokota.af.mil."

Although several months have passed since the earthquake and for some everyday life may be returning to normal. It is still crucial, as it was in those initial days, that we all work together toward energy conservation in order to support our community and the people of Japan.