CEMIRT partners with Air Force Facility Energy Center to cool down costs

  • Published
  • By John Burt
  • AFCESA
Temperatures are warming in many parts of the United States and hot summer days are not far behind. As the mercury rises, so can facility electricity consumption and costs. The Air Force Facility Energy Center is working with the Civil Engineer Maintenance, Inspection and Repair Team, to improve the efficiency of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems at various bases and facilities. This HVAC recommissioning program, funded by AFFEC, is a very promising tool to help rein in runaway energy costs due to HVAC systems with outdated, inefficient or inoperable components. Occupants in recommissioned buildings also enjoy better air quality and improved comfort.

AFFEC provides CEMIRT a list of bases with HVAC systems to recommission. The list is prioritized by facility size to maximize the overall energy reduction and return on investment. The average structure size that a single CEMIRT technician usually services is 120,000 square feet, but Air Force buildings can be as large as 500,000 square feet or more, requiring as many as three CEMIRT team members. Through this process, CEMIRT technicians thoroughly examine and test each HVAC element to locate points in the system where the HVAC system's efficiency is compromised.

The recommissioning teams then provide the base civil engineer, energy manager and the AFFEC a detailed trip report outlining not only their findings, but also their response and recommended plans of action. The reports submitted thus far tell a compelling story about the poor condition of much of the HVAC equipment in use at many Air Force facilities. Robert Gingell, CEMIRT chief, says, "From the trip reports you can see that HVAC systems throughout the Air Force are in need of repair and commissioning. The base technicians just don't have the time to do all of the necessary work. Consequently, there is a huge opportunity for CEMIRT to go out there and make these repairs and commissionings so that the HVAC systems work as designed and the bases save energy."

The program's main challenge according to Mr. Gingell is meeting the recomissioning demand with the current five-member team. Finding new personnel with the proper qualifications who are willing to endure the stringent travel schedule is difficult. With each HVAC recommissioning taking up to five weeks, technicians can be gone up to 270 days per year.

Frank Burrier, assistant manager of CEMIRT's operations at Tyndall AFB, Fla. is proud of the program's progress at the mid-point of the annual contract and states that CEMIRT is well ahead of schedule to recommission more than 30 facilities this year. "I would say that every facility we complete is a success story," Mr. Burrier commented. "So far we've evaluated 20 facilities at 10 bases totaling 1.25 million square feet."

Although the work to reduce facility energy consumption presses forward, Mr. Gingell believes this program could benefit from additional improvements. He would like to see the scope of the initiative expanded to allow CEMIRT teams to perform minor HVAC repairs on the spot. "The thought is that if we changed this business model and provide the team the time and funding to make minor repairs, that when they leave, the Air Force will have a better operating system right then and there." Mr. Gingell added, "The issue is how do you get that initiative channeled up to the right level so that you get the approval to go and do the good things that need to get done? Fortunately we're working with [AFFEC Director] Rick Stacey to help make that happen."

Both the Civil Engineer Maintenance, Inspection and Repair Team and the Air Force Facility Energy Center are divisions of the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, headquartered at Tyndall AFB, Fla.