DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Dyess has been updating and replacing electrical, water and heating ventilation and air conditioning systems to become more energy efficient and to save money in the long run.
These updates have been implemented to take advantage of the just over one million dollars available for use towards energy saving maintenance. In 2016, Dyess saved enough money in energy cutbacks that the Air Force granted them to use that money to further their successes.
“We installed new outdoor LED lighting in the Bomb Wing parking lot,” said Tom Denslow, base energy manager. “There was [no lighting] before so it was a big safety issue. That being said, we decided to address it in the most energy efficient way possible.
"Lighting was also replaced at hangar 5105. The old lighting did not allow for efficient operations by aircraft maintenance personnel. The new LED fixtures increased light levels significantly and also use less power than the old fixtures."
In addition to new lighting, AC units on base, in multiple buildings, were also updated and repaired if needed.
“The air conditioning units in the [Base Exchange] gas station needed an update,” Denslow said. “Some of the parts that require routine maintenance were located in the ceiling of the building. We moved them to floor level so that they would be safer and easier to access. Part of that movement also allowed us to replace parts and service others so the system will run more efficiently.”
There were also new HVAC controls installed in the fitness center, the dining facility and the C-130 simulator building that allow easier and more efficient temperature control.
“We updated the control system on our end in the HVAC building and on the user’s end at the thermostat,” said Hector Portillo, Industrial Controls Technician. “It allows the users to more easily adjust the temperature while on our end, we can make sure the systems are running at peak performance.
“We can get updates of temperature changes, humidity levels, and even electricity consumption. This also allows us to make quicker maintenance diagnostics to keep everything working.”
The thermostats were swapped out with what Portillo compared to ‘smart thermostats’ that were designed with ease of use and energy efficiency in mind.
“We also did a cooling water treatment for 52 facilities,” Portillo said. “We have a total coolingsystem management contract with Siemens Inc. to treat the facilities on base as of right now. Water on base that is not treated properly may contain solvents that will cause corrosion, scale, fouling, and biological contamination within the cooling systems throughout the base. The plan is to have the base HVAC system treated to run at peak performance.”
This preventative maintenance is very important to making sure that all the units are running exactly as they were designed to and over time, this will assist in lowering maintenance costs. Altogether, there are 18 military and six civil service employees in the HVAC/R (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration) shop that contributed to this project.
“These maintenance updates may seem small but they make a big difference,” Denslow said. “Aside from keeping our people comfortable and safe at work, it helps the Air Force—and Dyess more specifically—save tax payer money.”