AFERS Bolsters Energy Analysis Program Published June 24, 2011 By Christine Walker AFCESA/CEBH HQ AFCESA -- If experts were constructing your home, you'd expect them to use the best tools and avoid mistakes that would compromise the integrity of the structure and add to your costs. The same expectations apply to the experts responsible for building sustainable installations for the Air Force. Accurate energy consumption data is a critical element in this building process. One small error can affect every aspect of a project, which is why the Air Force is replacing a 30-year-old data collection system with an interim bridging solution. The team of energy program analysts at the Air Force Facility Energy Center, located at Headquarters Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, Tyndall AFB, Fla. must have accurate data to evaluate and make decisions on energy-saving projects. So, the Air Force Energy Reporting System, known as AFERS, is now replacing the Defense Utility Energy Reporting System as an interim system between DUERS and Air Force Civil Engineering's future information technology system "NexGen IT." Jaika Stone, a contractor working as an AFFEC energy project analyst, says AFERS is a new software platform for energy consumption data. It collects the same data from the same sources but collects it in a single modernized repository. Energy program analysts will no longer have to spend time gathering and analyzing base, major command and AFCESA data from different locations; instead they will analyze it all in one location. "Now we can use that time to really dig into analysis, verification and validation of the data, and with the same amount of manpower, we can present a product with more credibility and veracity," said Ms. Stone. By having more precise data, AFERS will give the team of energy analysts an efficient tool for viewing the data more quickly. A typical report that would take two days to generate from a DUERS report will now take just a few hours with AFERS. Rick Weston with AFFEC's Conservation Branch said the real struggle for so many years has been the gathering phase, but now the energy team can quickly get into the more important phase of analysis and put more focus on finding energy project opportunities. AFERS will bolster the process for analysts to efficiently find the areas where energy is consumed and highlight where the Air Force can get the most return on its investment. "There's less opportunity for error, because you're drawing information directly out of the system instead of having to read data off the screen and manually type it into a different system. Analysts can just go to the AFERS system, find the reports and begin analyzing," said Mr. Weston. That's a combination to produce excellent results to save the Air Force money and build a more sustainable future.