Officials have set their sights on Hawaii’s military housing for a new program they hope will cut energy waste and save the government nearly a half-million dollars a year in electricity costs.
The Hawaii Energy Smart initiative unveiled Tuesday will focus on behavioral changes to save energy that will complement existing programs that reduce electricity consumption with hardware solutions such as photovoltaic panels, solar water heating and high-efficiency appliances.
The goal of the initiative is to reduce electricity use by 1.3 million kilowatt-hours annually in roughly 6,700 military households through basic steps such as using air conditioning more sparingly, properly setting water heater timers and using advanced power strips to stop "phantom" energy use.
6,700
Households participating in Hawaii Energy Smart Initiative
1.3 million
Projected number kilowatt hours of electricity saved annually under the initiative
$423,800
Projected savings at today’s price of 32.6 cents per kilowatt hour
$4 billion
Amount Hawaii spends on imported oil annually |
The kilowatt-hour target works out to an energy-use reduction of 1.5 percent.
The program, set in 36 neighborhoods mostly on Oahu, is the state’s first large-scale effort to transform entire communities to "achieve an energy-efficient lifestyle," said Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz. The housing is operated by Forest City Military Communities, a private-sector provider. If successful, the initiative could serve as a model for the broader community, he said.
The key to getting program participants to change their energy-use behavior will be education and repeatedly supplying them with information about how to save electricity, said Will Boudra, vice president of development at Forest City.
Hawaii Energy, the state’s main energy efficiency program, has been training Forest City staff on how to articulate the message to the tenants in military housing.
"The first time we see a military resident is when they come to look for a house, and they hear the message from our leasing office. Then someone from our leasing office takes them to see the house, and they hear it again," Boudra said.
"The next time it will be when they contact our management office. They’ll hear it again when our maintenance people come to the house. We will get the message to them over and over again," he said.
The Hawaii Energy Smart Initiative builds on a program launched last year that for the first time charged tenants of military housing for overuse of electricity and rewarded them for underuse.
Residents are required to pay for consumption that is more than 20 percent above the average usage for that group of similar homes. Residents who conserve more than 20 percent below the average usage will have the opportunity to receive a credit or rebate.
