By CHRIS TAYLOR
The main supply warehouse at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island is one of the largest buildings on base and it’s also one of the more energy intensive. To help cut costs and energy, Building 369 recently received modernized lighting and heating.
Until now, steam from the central heating plant made the half mile journey up the hill to the warehouse to provide heat to the building by large fans across radiators. The steam loses energy moving across the base and the fans use a lot of energy to move the air from ceiling level down to floor level.
This system has been replaced with a natural gas infrared radiation (IR) system. The IR heats the floor and occupants directly, providing a more even and long-lasting heat that is more comfortable for the occupants. Because the natural gas is burned on site to create the IR heat, this is more efficient than the forced air plus steam system.
The lighting systems for the warehouse have also been upgraded. The light fixtures along the storage racks have been fitted with occupancy sensors that turn the lights off after 15 minutes with no activity.
These sensors will reduce lighting energy use by 50 percent.
With safety in mind, the occupancy sensors provide forklift operators a 300 percent margin on braking distance, turning on lights well before any obstacle would be in the way.
Planned for later this year, all of the lights will be upgraded to LED lights, which reduce power requirements by an additional 70 percent. Providing more light than the existing fluorescent tubes, the LEDs will provide a better light that allows workers to more easily read part numbers and labels.