Former official contends spray foam could help military cut its huge energy use

With its many international outfits and domestic operations, the U.S. military is one of the biggest energy consumers in the country. Its consumption levels, however, are so high that it costs the Department of Justice (DOJ) billions of dollars each year just to air condition tents and temporary structures, according to a published report.

The World reports that the DOJ spends more than $20 billion annually to air condition those units. This, according to Gen. David Petraeus' former chief logistician in Iraq, Steve Anderson, presents a major challenge to engineers as the high costs are eating into the military's budget at a time when policymakers are looking to make sharp cuts to nearly every government-funded enterprise.

Additionally, the huge amounts of oil needed to power such operations are a liability, as trucks charged with transporting fuel have increasingly become targets for opposition forces in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. The military has found success, however, using spray foam insulation to improve energy efficiency.

In fact, in an op-ed he penned in The New York Times recently, Anderson said that a 2007 study conducted by the military found that applying spray foam insulation to the exterior of structures reduced their energy requirements by more than 80 percent.

The military is moving to implement additional energy efficiency measures, but Anderson contends that spray foam insulation should comprise a critical part of its long-term energy plan.