F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Balfour Beatty Communities staff members offer the following energy saving tips in keeping with senior Air Force leaders' energy saving initiative.

While Balfour Beatty is responsible for all maintenance issues concerning base housing, residents are encouraged to do what they can to save on energy consumption.

"At the first sign of any issue, residents should let us know," said Kim Patterson, Balfour Beatty community manager.

There is a self-help shop on base, Building 330, where residents can do a 'one-for-one' swap on their light bulbs and switch them out with condensed fluorescent light bulbs.

Swapping out light bulbs is not the only way residents can conserve energy, said Matt Miller, Balfour Beatty Communities facility manager.

"We recommend you change your furnace filters monthly," Miller said. "Not only will it run better, but it'll run more efficiently and reduce the risk of fires too.

"Due to limited on-hand stock, we request that residents call first to make sure we have enough in stock," Miller added.

The self-help store not only has light bulbs and filters, but common household cleaning items can be found there as well.

"When people move, a lot of the time they cannot take their cleaning chemicals with them," Patterson said. "In the self-help store, we have a 'use and reuse' shelf which is full of cleaning supplies."

The current houses on base, and all new housing developments, are being fitted with programmable thermostats, allowing residents to program their air conditioning or heat only when it is needed.

Programmable thermostats are not the only improvements on-base residents can expect to see in the future.

"We are looking to replace all appliances with more efficient, energy-saving ones," Patterson said. "Also, we are going to replace all water fixtures with water-sense devices, which will help decrease the amount of water being used."

In addition to the water saving devices, residents should locate and turn off their outdoor water shut-off valves, and then let the outdoor faucets drain.

"Shutting off the water and draining the pipes will prevent the pipes from freezing and bursting," Miller said. "If you cannot find the water shut-off valve, or you do not feel comfortable doing this yourself, call our maintenance technicians, and they will come out, locate the valve and shut it off for you."

For more information about what the self-help store has to offer, call 307-637-6044. To schedule maintenance, call 307-637-6102.