Leaders across the Corps have Battalions and squadrons across the Marine Corps have 45 days to select a Marine per unit to monitor their unit’s energy and water usage in buildings and barracks, according to a service-wide Marine administrative message published Tuesday.
The unit energy manager program, detailed in the message, is a new vein in a larger effort to reduce Marine Corps facilities’ energy consumption by 30 percent from 2003 baselines by the end of this year. Marine Corps Times first reported about wrote about development of the program at Marine Corps Installations Command’s plans to develop the program in 2013.
While corporals Marines at the E-4 level and above are eligible for selection as unit energy managers, the MARADMINaradmin indicates it is “strongly recommended” that unit commanders choose a staff noncommissioned officer or officer to lend the position sufficient authority to implement energy reduction requirements.
Responsibilities Tasks that will fall to the Marines chosen, according to the message, include the following:
- Receiving training and tools to effectively act as a unit’s energy point of contact.
- Distributing energy usage information and best practices to the unit.
- Acting as a liaison between unit leadership, installation energy managers, and installation commands.
- Working with installation energy managers to track program progress with qualitative and quantitative data.
- Providing Marines with information and reminders to reduce individual energy, water and fuel consumption by turning off and unplugging lights and appliances when not in use, taking shorter showers, using energy-saving devices, carpooling and more.
- Fielding reports of energy and water waste incidents from Marines in the unit.
The energy managers will UEMs would receive training and tools from the installation energy managers — who themselves are full-time staff and typically civilians — but execute the duties of the position on top of their normal tasks.
While an effort to meet prescribed energy goals, including a planned ten 10 percent personal energy use reduction in the next five years, the program is designed to develop a better energy ethos and best practices within individual Marines, said Maj. Gen. Juan Ayala, MCICOM commander, in a November interview.
“This is the first campaign that is aimed at the individual behavior of a Marine,” Ayala said at the time. “And so wWe want to communicate the message that Marines have the power themselves to be able to cut energy consumption.”
Ayala said Marine officials hope that, by influencing Marines’ everyday behavior, they’ll be able to realize a $26 million savings in just in spending on utilities spending alone before 2020.
“If you look at the average 19-year-old lance corporal rifleman, energy is not something that is a core competency,” Ayala said. “However, if we can tie energy to operational readiness, I think that’s where we’ll be successful.”
Units have until May 24 to get their unit energy managers fully trained and installed before the program begins in earnest.
