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AETC Energy Manager named Federal Energy Manager of the Year

  • Published
  • By Megan Orton
  • Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AETCNS) --  The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Garland Scott, Air Education and Training Command energy manager, the title of Federal Energy Manager of the Year for 2005.

Mr. Scott was chosen as the Air Force recipient for the award, which recognizes one energy management leader from each military service annually.

"This award is an acknowledgement by the people that I work with at many levels of government that I'm going the right direction," Mr. Scott said.

Mr. Scott has been managing energy for AETC for almost 10 years. As the major command energy manager, he is responsible for finding ways to achieve Department of Energy goals and creating innovative ways to save energy and cut costs for AETC.

In a June 1999 Executive Order, the Presidential facility energy reduction challenge was outlined, requiring the federal government to reduce energy by 30 percent by 2005 from the 1985 baseline. AETC not only met, but exceeded that goal, achieving a near 40 percent reduction by 2005, Mr. Scott said. The challenge now is to deliver the results mandated in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

"The main idea of these initiatives is to reduce our use of foreign oil and the costs associated with its use from the global perspective," Mr. Scott said.

President Bush addressed these ideas in his Jan. 31 State of the Union address, saying, "America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world. The best way to break this addiction is through technology."

These technologically-advanced energy reduction techniques are exactly the kinds of programs that Mr. Scott continues to implement in AETC. There are ways to do this and still allow bases to be aesthetically pleasing, he said.

Generating energy from renewable energy sources, such as the installation of solar applications at AETC bases, can significantly reduce purchased energy costs. By placing photovoltaic cells on facility roofs, solar energy can be used to generate electricity that can be used for air conditioning or other facility functions. The first significant implementation of this system is the base exchange at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.

Solar energy can also be used instead of natural gas to preheat water from the ground, reducing the amount of natural gas used to heat water to the desired temperature for use in base facilities.

We will soon begin to see energy being generated on AETC bases, according to Mr. Scott, because the newest products are more reliable and sold by more credible individuals than those in the past. Solar energy is not a cure-all solution but has its place in the energy mix, he said.

"Efficiency is the name of the game," Mr. Scott said. "We'll always have our mission at the base, and we'll always need light and air conditioning in our homes, but with more efficient products, it doesn't take as much energy to do what we need to do."

As natural resources become scarce, the need for renewable energy sources will become a very real issue, Mr. Scott said.

"We're consuming fossil fuel products much faster than they're being produced in the ground over the long haul, and known reserves are estimated to peak between the years 2015 and 2025," Mr. Scott said. "The next thing we know, we may not be able to live our lives the way we want to because we're fighting over the costs of available energies."

Mr. Scott's interest in energy reduction extends into his personal life as well. He has driven a Honda Hybrid since 2003 and has purchased Windtricity since 2000. Windtricity, according to its website, is a voluntary renewable energy option for San Antonio City Public Service customers to purchase electricity generated by wind-powered turbines in West Texas.

Mr. Scott says he's made these changes in his personal lifestyle because from his point of view, it's the right thing to do.

"We need people out there just biting the bullet and taking the lead," Mr. Scott said. "Otherwise, people are not aware of these issues and don't pay attention to them."

Mr. Scott is a Professional Engineer in the State of Texas, a Certified Energy Manager, and a Green Building Engineer. He is also a member of the Boards of Directors for the Texas Solar Energy Society and Solar San Antonio. He is the recipient of the DOE's 2001 Federal Energy Management Award and 2004 Presidential Energy Award, and recognized as an Energy Champion by the DOE's poster program.