Energy manager works to reduce AMC’s consumption Published Oct. 30, 2013 By Airman Megan Friedl 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- October was energy action month; however every day of the year energy conservation is being made. Stephen Kalmer, Air Mobility Command energy manager, and his colleagues have been working to save the Air Force $7.41 million in energy costs. Kalmer is in charge of planning and implementing energy saving projects at Scott Air Force Base and throughout AMC. The main project Kalmer has worked on is the heat plant decentralization. He has localized high efficiency boilers in each building instead of having one room send steam lines or high-temperature water lines to every building. Not only does it save energy, it also has maintenance savings. Currently, all of the AMC bases in the U.S. have had their heat plants decentralized because of Kalmer and other AMC energy managers. Kalmer also led the effort to integrate efficient lighting in high bay areas and hangars including the installation of occupancy sensors. Kalmer said there is a lot of planning and preparation involved in each energy project. Some projects can last all year long, while others can go as long as two to four years. The next big project is to upgrade the energy management control center. By upgrading the EMCC, Kalmer and his team will be able to better manage energy usage. They will be able to see how much energy each high-intensity building is using, and if it's using more than it should be they can monitor that and fix the issue to save as much energy as possible. Ronald Bean, AMC Resource Efficiency Manager also works to execute the AMC energy program. Primarily, he focuses on developing and evaluating energy projects that come to the installations. Secondly, he has the responsibility to conduct energy evaluations across the AMC facilities. He monitors them and guides them when needed. "Every day there is a new challenge to my job," said Bean. "It makes me think." However, there are many easy ways to save energy that do not require much thought at all, such as turning off lights whenever you leave a room. Another easy but very beneficial way to save energy is to set back the thermostat a few degrees, especially in the summer and winter months. "A few small changes can make a significant change in savings," said Kalmer.