MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Of all the costs to operate a super-sized military base, the gas and electric bill looms largest in an energy-tight region like California. How large?

Try $25 million during fiscal year 2003.

With a price tag like that, Pendleton's base commander and his team of energy experts are turning their attention to wasteful habits and calling on the Pendleton community to act now in an effort to help cut the bill.

"Camp Pendleton was recently named as the Corps' best base and we don't want to ask people to change the quality of life here," said Col. Myron Hampton, the base assistant chief of staff for facilities, referring to Marines' choice of Camp Pendleton as the Corps' top installation for the second straight year in a recent Marine Corps Times survey.

"But as a community, we have to do a better job," he said.

Base residents and workers may not have a choice. Although dozens of energy-efficient projects have already been initiated — projects such as sky lighting, solar powered traffic lights and $11 million in new energy efficient equipment — energy experts say the base has essentially been ordered to cut back.

Executive Order 13123 requires all federal agencies to reduce their use 35 percent by the year 2010.

Hampton said the base is "on track to meeting our goal," and has already cut energy use by 28 percent since the 1999 presidential mandate was issued. But he said efforts must continue.

"Energy conservation is continuous. There's never a point where you can say 'OK, I've done it. I've reached my goal,'" he said.

"As long as we're here, we still have to be responsible for how we use energy. We can always do more," said Hampton, adding that he frequently turns off his office lights and relies on window light to set an example.

Simple habits like turning off a computer screen when the user walks away from the terminal or setting a heater thermostat to 65 degrees can result in huge savings, said Randy J. Monohan, a resource efficiency manager, contracted to help advise and assist base officials in energy-saving programs.

"Everybody has their screensaver, but (screensavers) don't save energy," Monohan said.

"It's nice to have a picture of your boyfriend or girlfriend or kids up, but when you walk away from your monitor, turn it off.

"We're not saying turn off your CPU because that does not consume much at all compared to monitors," Monohan said.

Monohan said such efforts may not seen like much, but with the base's daytime population of more than 60,000, the savings quickly add up.

Pendleton's consumption of 175 million kilowatt hours of electricity last year can be significantly reduced if users change the way they view electrical costs on base.

The problem, says Hampton, is that many base residents and employees don't feel the economic impact of energy costs because they do not pay the bills.

"If you think like that bill is coming out of your pocket, you tend to think twice before going home and leaving the heat on 80 degrees (overnight)," Hampton said.

Base housing resident Brandie Colebrook said she tries to teach her children energy-savings habits.

"If we leave the room, we turn off the lights," said Colebrooke, who moved on base a year ago and was paying an average monthly off-base electric bill of $60 for a family of four.

"We try to make it a habit because someday we'll be back off base and have to pay again," she said.

Other key areas Monohan says are ripe for additional savings are warehouse and workspace lighting.

He said recent spot inspections called "energy audits" revealed some spaces are lit when no workers are present.

It is as simple as "turn it off," Monohan said.

"We've found basketball courts lit during the day with nobody playing and hangers lit with nobody working."

Hampton said the base's energy situation is "not be as bad as it was back in 2001, when the state of California experienced rolling blackouts in many areas."

"But don't think for an instant we are well. We are still in an energy crunch and we must all do our part to conserve and save," Hampton said.

Email Gunnery Sgt. Hevezi at hevezimj@pendleton.usmc.mil.