No heat, no cool period set to begin; 43rd CES prepares for cooling season

Published March 23, 2007
By Staff Sgt. Francis Lalic
43rd Civil Engineer Squadron Unit Public Affair representative

POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- As the temperature rises, members of the 43rd Civil Engineer Squadron heating, ventilation and air conditioning section are in the process of preparing for the upcoming cooling season.

The HVAC shop will start turning off boilers and furnaces Wednesday. Some systems will then require a cool down period, as they share the same heating and cooling water pipes.

"[If we don't allow for a cool down period] we run the risk of damaging the HVAC system, ultimately costing the government thousands of dollars and extended climatic discomfort to our customers," said Master Sgt. Jason Baker, 43rd CES facility maintenance superintendent.

After completing these steps, an intensive preventative maintenance program will be performed.

"System maintenance is a periodic requirement that takes priority over routine repairs," said Maj. Erik Lagerquist, 43rd CES Operations Flight commander.

"Without our recurring maintenance program, some systems would deteriorate to the point of catastrophic failure," Major Lagerquist added. "We look forward to the change-over period between heating and cooling to accomplish the majority of our maintenance."

By April 1, the Energy Conservation Policy's "No-Heat/No Cool" plan will kick into action and continue until May 30, weather permitting. Sometime after April 1, 43rd CES will complete the third step of switching all buildings over to cooling.

"The base averages around $400,000 in utility bills per month," said Barney Lee, Pope energy manager. "A very large portion of Pope's energy usage is related to heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Taking advantage of mild weather is an excellent opportunity to save valuable energy and dollars. We can get approximately a 30 percent reduction during this period, which is vital to our success in meeting our reduction goals mandated by EO 13423 and EPACT 2005."

Mr. Lee will also begin energy audits on buildings that are known to be using large amounts of energy.

"Energy conservation is not my responsibility alone," he added. "We must all contribute to meeting our reduction goals and be good stewards of our tax dollars."

"The overall plan is to save energy for the base," said Robert Logan, 43rd CES HVAC supervisor. "In addition to reducing how long we leave things on, we are installing more efficient equipment to help save energy."

Dormitories and billeting are the priority for switching to air conditioning, followed by training facilities, then remaining administrative facilities and the industrial facilities.
The facility managers are the first point of contact for any building and equipment
problems.

For more information, contact CE customer service at 394-2821.