An Analysis of the Air Force Installation Development Plan and Its Energy Benchmarking Effectiveness
Abstract
Establishing proper, long-term metrics for measuring various resource uses, climatic threats, and sustainability are critical for a military installation's adaptation to climate change. Within the United States Air Force (USAF), the Installation Development Plan (IDP) is a comprehensive long-term base planning document, which includes an inventory of sustainable development goals including energy use and climate indicators. This study analyzed 32 different IDPs among the various installations in the continental United States, identifying regional trends and behaviors across their 16 Sustainability Development Indicators (SDI). To study the IDPs more in depth, specific focus was placed on SDI 1, which concerns energy consumption and generation. This study investigated the different variations in energy benchmarking across local climate conditions, SDI ratings, and units used. Major inconsistencies were found across these three domains. Subsequently, the study identified the remedies needed for standardized energy benchmarking, along with recommending additional adaptation strategies. These comparisons suggest a need for installations to communicate with one another and their regional cities when beginning and concluding energy measurement periods. The results of this study inform both municipal and military planners and engineers on the prominent types of climate metrics for resilience within a changing climate.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1144179
Entities
People
- Jacob P. Hyman
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology