AFCESA Energy Team Joins Leading Energy Experts at GovEnergy

  • Published
  • By Christine Walker
  • AFCESA/CEBH
AFCESA --  The Air Force Facility Energy Center will have a team of speakers among the nation's leading experts in energy policy, technology, and facility operations at the GovEnergy conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, this week. AFFEC's team, headquartered at the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., will provide energy management and awareness training to federal employees and government stakeholders. The conference will cover a range of topics to help federal agencies meet the challenges of energy reduction and achieve sustainability goals. Energy conservation products, services, projects, and significant investments will also be showcased.

AFFEC's Energy Rates and Renewable Branch Chief Ken Gray, P.E., CCM, will lay the groundwork of understanding the evolving overlapping federal requirements for renewable energy during session 9, "Complying with Federal Directives, Renewables, and Mandates." The panel will explore ways agencies can develop strategies to reach the mandates after understanding their structure and evolution.

"My goal is to help new energy staff members understand the various renewable energy mandates. Only by understanding the objective can you develop a cogent strategy and tactics to reach the goal," said Mr. Gray. Currently, Mr. Gray heads the Air Force renewable energy and utility management program, which leads the Department of Defense in the use and development of renewable energy. His 20-year career as a Civil Engineer Corps officer with the U.S. Navy and ten years in the private sector has provided Mr. Gray a wide background in facility management, program and construction management, Naval Construction Force (Seabees), and contracting.

During a training series, "Complying with Federal Directives," AFFEC's Conservation Branch Chief Ken Walters, P.E., will examine the challenges of collecting accurate data to manage and report energy use to satisfy federal mandates. Highlighted in this session will be the Defense Utility Energy Reporting System and evolving technologies that incorporate data from advanced meters and building management systems into energy reporting.

Mr. Michael Rits, P.E., CEM, Chief of the Facility Energy Capital Investment Branch at AFCESA, will speak about "Building an Investment Portfolio." Mr. Rits will illustrate how to identify requirements, what to validate and how to prioritize. Mr. Rits, a retired Air Force civil engineer officer with over 25 years of experience spanning base level, warfighting headquarters, major command and Air Staff positions, will also provide a road map for agencies to determine what to do with competing requirements and how to manage the program. Mr. Rits' presentation will culminate with how to determine central sources of federal funds, when to measure and verify, and how to forecast results for success. "I'll be reaching out to agencies that don't have a central program to tell them how to centrally manage it to grow and meet the goals without decentralizing it to other organizations," said Mr. Rits. His branch centrally manages the Air Force capital investments targeted to meet legislative and corporate facility energy conservation, water conservation, and renewable energy goals.

Ms. Jennifer Elmore, an AFCESA contract Communications Coordinator, will also be sharing her expertise in the field of energy awareness. Ms. Elmore works with energy personnel at major commands and installations to collect energy success stories and best practices, then shares them with the rest of the Air Force and media outlets. Ms. Elmore is instrumental in expanding AFCESA's communication team to implement communication strategies for increasing Air Force energy reduction and conservation awareness. Ms. Elmore will be speaking during session 8, "Agency Awareness Campaigns."

GovEnergy serves to assist federal employees to identify ways to meet the federal requirements to reduce their energy consumption by 30 percent by 2015. For more information about the conference and other speakers log on to http://www.govenergy.com.