All residents living in base housing will begin receiving electric bills within the next year as part of a new residential energy conservation program being implemented by Headquarters Marine Corps and Marine Corps Installation Command at all Marine installations.
Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Gorry, commander of Marine Corps Installations East – Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, will kick off the first town hall meeting scheduled June 28 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Base Theater aboard MCB Camp Lejeune for all residents of base housing, including the air station, in order to inform residents about the new energy conservation program.
The purpose of the residential energy conservation program is to reduce residential energy consumption by rewarding those who conserve energy and charging others for excess use. This will control resident’s energy over consumption and lower the overall usage. The savings from the returned energy cost will be put to private-partner venture quality-of-life improvements.
Billing will begin this fall. The first three months will serve as the ‘mock’ billing practice period to allow residents time to become familiar with the program and assess their energy consumption. Actual billing will begin in the spring with some residents receiving monetary refunds for conserving energy while others will receive bills for over consumption of electricity, said Lt. Col. Bryan F. Lucas, MCIEAST operations officer for installations, facilities and environment. Residents will receive the finalized ‘live’ billing in spring and summer of 2013. Atlantic Marine Corps Community housing and Lincoln Military Housing will be on different schedules.
During the mock and live billing, every home will be assigned to a like-type group where their monthly average usage will be calculated. Homes will be grouped by neighborhood, number of bedrooms, square footage, and year built. Homes not occupied for the full month are not included in the calculation. The monthly average usage will be multiplied by the current electric rate to obtain the monthly average electric bill. Continuous buffers will be set 10 percent above and below the monthly average usage to account for differences in family size and differences in like-type home groupings.
New leases are required to reflect the new requirements of the RECP program.
“Before the ‘live’ billing all AMCC residents will be required to sign a new lease,” said Dixie Lainer-Johnson, strategic marketing manager of AMCC Lend Lease. “Even if they are still in their initial six months.”
There will be an addendum provided with further specifics on the RECP program for residents living in Lincoln Military Housing, said Molly Fretag, senior leasing specialist for Lincoln Military Housing.
Wounded warriors and residents with exceptional family members may request a waiver from participation in the RECP through the military housing office, but families waived from the program will not be eligible for rebates.
Multiple town hall meetings to inform and answer any questions about the RECP are scheduled from June 2012 until March 2013 and are open to the public. Please bring any further questions to the town hall meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. June 28 at the Base Theater.