Energy

Black Start Exercise (BSE)

Comprehensive Energy and Water Evaluation (CEWE)

Energy Awareness and Conservation

Black Start Exercise (BSE), also known as energy resilience readiness exercise (ERRE), is intended to test installation-wide resilience. During a Black Start Exercise, the delivery of energy provided from off site of an installation is terminated before backup generation assets on the installation are activated.

Required by 10 USC §2920, Black Start Exercises are “conducted to assess the energy resilience and energy security of installations for periods established to evaluate the ability of the installation to perform critical missions without access to off-installation energy resources.”

The statue also requires each military department to conduct BSE for five installations each year at a minimum, with any such exercise not to last longer than five days.

The Army CEWE program is in compliance with Section 432 of the Energy and Independence Security Act of 2007 (EISA) requiring energy and water evaluations to be performed at qualified facilities.

CEWE for each qualified facility is completed every four years. The CEWE activities include assessing existing system operational conditions, identifying potential Energy Conservation Measures (ECM) and Water Conservation Measures (WCM), and implementing projects.

The Army is committe to pursuing energy conservation to support installation resilience by reducing demand and operating costs. The ultimate goal is to reduce overall energy use while maximizing efficiency, implement energy recovery and cogeneration opportunities, and offset the remaining demand with the production of renewable and/or alternative energy source to achieve minimizing operations and maintenance costs.

Each October the Army celebrates Energy Action Month which is tied to the National Energy Awareness Month observed across the country. The Secretary of the Army Energy and Water Management Awards program recognizes annually the leaders on the individual, project, and installation levels. The Award recipients are commended for their dedication to sustainability and innovation, which contribute significantly to the Army’s energy and water resilience.

Installation Status Report (ISR)

ENERGY STAR^TM

The ISR program establishes ratings for installation assets and functions against Army-wide standards developed using Army regulations, policy and guidance.

The ISR program evaluates facility condition and functionality; captures capacity and capability impacts; assesses service quality and operations support requirements.

The ISR data assists in leadership decision-making, building cost requirements, readiness support, and modernizing installations.

ENERGY STAR certified products help save energy, save money, and protect the environment. ENERGY STAR is a public-private partnership, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Army is committed to utilize the most efficient technologies and ENERGY STAR certified equipment available on the market for all building systems recapitalization and renovation actions or for system components repair.