The Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC) is continuing its record-setting pace toward energy conservation efforts in meeting our mandated energy reduction goals and to garner available incentives to reduce operational costs for the Center. In the fall of 2017, the MMAC was offered an opportunity to participate in a new program being provided by Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OG&E) utility company. OG&E’s Continuous Energy Improvement (CEI) program is primarily offered to large commercial and industrial customers. Under the program, OG&E offers an incentive for customers to partner with OG&E’s energy consultants to establish conservation programs and implement energy savings opportunities. In the fall of 2018, OG&E established an "alumni" cohort, allowing past participants to continue to earn a 2-cent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) incentive for additional reduction in electric usage during 2019.
The CEI program starts with establishing a company energy policy, setting energy goals, and implementing an energy team to champion energy conservation. The MMAC already had a head start on these initial program tenets because federal agencies including the MMAC have already established energy policy and mandated goals, and the Office of Facility Management (AMP) Energy Council has been in place championing conservation for several years. The CEI program then provides a 2-cent per kWh incentive to the participant for every kWh saved. This incentive is in addition to the savings realized through the regular electric bill! For all alumni cohort, OG&E worked with the MMAC AMP Energy team to develop a plan for FY 2019 to produce further kWh savings.
During the initial participation year in FY 2018, the MMAC realized a savings of over 2,000,000 kWh under the program and received an incentive of nearly $42,000 – more savings than any other participant! In FY 2019 participating in the program as an alumni, the MMAC realized an additional savings of 1,973,610 kWh – again, saving more than any other current or alumni participant – earning an incentive of over $39,000. That’s a total reduction of nearly 4,000,000 kWh in the last two years! Due to challenges with federal agencies receiving monetary payments, the incentive was converted into an equivalent value of renewable energy certificates that allowed the MMAC to exceed our renewable energy goal again in FY 2019, providing 15.7% of MMAC electrical usage being credited to renewable sources. The MMAC will continue to participate in OG&E’s Continuous Energy Improvement program through at least 2020, participating again as an alumni member, and will receive additional incentive for additional reductions in electric consumption.
To achieve additional reductions, AMP is continuing to implement new and improved energy saving technologies like LED lighting, occupancy sensor lighting controls, and more efficient heating and cooling equipment into maintenance and renovation projects. In addition to new technologies, the MMAC also continues to urge employees to further conservation by providing information through center-wide news articles, emails and events like Earth Day.
Environmental representatives from MMAC organizations are also encouraged at quarterly Environmental Network meetings to remind employees to help out by turning off lights and equipment at the end of the day and by promptly reporting energy waste such as malfunctioning heating and cooling equipment to AMP for repairs.
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the MMAC Energy Program, please contact the MMAC energy manager at (405) 954-9610.
