Announced in a recent letter by the Base Commanding General to all family housing residents, the Resident Energy Conservation Program is set to begin aboard Camp Pendleton in the coming months.

The RECP is being implemented in all public-private venture housing units throughout the Department of Defense to encourage energy conservation and further benefit the community as part of a DoD directive.

The RECP rewards and incentivizes conservation, and the savings are reinvested to improve homes, playgrounds, community centers and all around quality of life.

"Careful conservation of resources through less energy consumption contributes to our Nation's security and readiness, and takes better care of our fragile ecosystem," said Robert Marshall, Director of Family Housing here. "Money saved through conservation will be put right back into the PPV project in the form of capital reinvestments such as new housing, renovations, community amenities and quality of life programs."

The program will be implemented in phases. The initial phase is the mock-billing phase which is scheduled to begin in January in select housing areas. The program will utilize electric meters installed on the homes to determine each household's energy usage. Once an average is determined throughout the community based on the like-type and size of homes, residents will begin to receive their "mock" bills that show their actual monthly usage.
 

Residents should begin comparing your actual usage with the usage target amount as soon as the first statement is received, according to Brig. Gen. Vincent A. Coglianese, commanding general, Marine Corps Installations West, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Awareness and energy conservation are key to not exceeding that energy usage target.

Three months after the mock billing phase, the actual billing is slated to begin. Residents who fall within a 10 percent window above or below the average will not see an impact. However, those who exceed the average will be billed for the excess, and those who use less will receive a rebate that can be redeemed once it reaches $25.

The most important element of this RECP is education, Coglianese said in the official letter released about RECP, noting with each monthly statement residents will receive tips and tools on ways to conserve and use less energy.

Families can do very simple things such as turning off lights that aren't being used, monitoring thermostat temperatures, using fans in the summer rather than air conditioning and turning off computers and other electronic equipment at night.

"Individually, these energy saving tips result in small savings," said Coglianese, "but collectively they can make a big difference in how much energy you use in a given month."

Wounded Warriors and those in the Exceptional Family Members Program who may consume significant amounts of energy because of their unique circumstances may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis for RECP waivers.