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Gen. Mike Minihan, Commander of Air Mobility Command, visits the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station June 8, 2024.

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Turn off that light!

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Joseph McKee
  • 914th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Office
Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, N.Y --  When paying the electric bill at home it can be very easy to remember to conserve electricity especially for those of us who grew up during the energy crisis of the late 1970s who can still remember the reprimands from their parents echoing in their heads like a mantra "Turn off that light! Do you think we own the electric company?"
 
Work can be a different story; personnel often leave lighting on when spaces are unoccupied. To remedy this, the 914th Airlift Wing is relying on technological advances to ease the financial burden and supplement the efforts of base personnel. Contractors have recently installed occupancy sensors in a number of buildings on base. These newly installed sensors automatically turn off the lights when a room is left unoccupied for 10 minutes, turning them back on when personnel re-enter.

Sensors like these are playing an increasingly important role in energy management. The Building Owners and Managers Association International recently issued a top-10 list of ways commercial real estate professionals can make energy efficiency and sustainability a priority, including the advice: Install occupancy sensors.

The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station  has other energy saving projects in the works that include retrofitting exterior lighting with cost saving LED fixtures and modernizing the base's heating and cooling systems.

Remember flipping a switch off when you leave a room at home or at work is the easiest way to start saving energy. The most-energy efficient bulb of all is one that's turned off when not in use, don't throw away energy!