Govt offices to pay own electricity bills starting Oct. 1

To promote energy conservation and ensure greater control of their power use, individual government agencies will be asked to pay for their own electricity bills beginning fiscal year 2006 or on Oct. 1 this year, Finance Secretary Fermin M. Atalig said yesterday.

He said such practice would prompt agencies to save more on their utility use.

Currently, Finance gets billed for the utility consumption of the entire government.

The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation bills the government $10 million to $12 million per year.

Under the continuing resolution, the government is appropriated $5 million a year for utilities.

During yesterday’s energy conservation program briefing, Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente said that agencies will receive funding out of the $5 million appropriation.

Atalig said this funding, which is evidently inadequate, will be part of agencies’ “All Others” or operations budget.

Meantime, Management and Budget director Ed Tenorio said yesterday that based on the plan, agencies will get incentives for every $100 savings.

He said that for every $100, the agency will get back $50.

The 50-percent reimbursed amount will then be used to buy energy-saving lighting or office fixtures.

Meantime, Gov. Juan N. Babauta said that the government has began an assessment and audit of “common purpose lights” such as street and traffic lights.

This also includes the power used by CUC to run water and sewer systems and during “public activities” such as Liberation Day where vendors are hooked to CUC line for free.

“We need to make an accounting of all this,” he said.

CUC earlier said that it loses up to 25 percent of its generated power.

CUC produces 420 million kilowatt hour every year.

The administration currently implements a four-point energy conservation plan, which includes metering all unmetered government building, distribution of utility bills to each agency beginning fiscal year 2006, active conservation measures in government, and public conservation.

In government, the administration is asking all offices to turn off all lights, air conditioners, computers, and other electrical equipment at end of work day, “except where security or need to protect sensitive equipment at issue.”

If a government office is observed with lights or airconditioners on after office hours, a person can call 322-8004 or the Emergency Management Office, which will then alert the Secretary or head of the department.

Authorities will appoint energy conservation point people for each Executive Branch department.

Meantime, the administration said that the government has reduced its power consumption expenditure by 10 percent in June this year, translating to some $82,847 in savings.

Babauta said the administration aims to raise the savings to $150,000 a month.

Government data showed that it paid $797,537 for electricity in May 2005.

In June, the power billing was down to $714,690.

The list showed the Department of Public Health made the biggest saving of $29,350 or 19 percent reduction from May billing while Public School System saved $29,131 in savings with 10 percent decline.

Tenorio said yesterday that the DPH’s replacement of its air conditioning units in April contributed to the huge savings.

Other agencies showed the following savings:

– 18 percent, Judicial Branch (with $7,387 savings)
– 34 percent, Attorney General’s Office ($1,950)
– 14 percent, Commerce ($488)
– 12 percent, Governor’s Office ($5,240)
– 11 percent, Legislative Branch ($503)
– 9 percent, Public Safety ($4,597)
– 7 percent, Northern Islands Municipality ($63)
– 6 percent, Northern Marianas College ($2,222)
– 6 percent, Corrections ($410)
– 6 percent, Tinian Municipality ($518)
– 5 percent, Finance ($1,091)
– 2 percent, Community and Cultural Affairs ($513)
– 33 percent, Washington Resident Office ($259)

Agencies which showed increased spending for power use in June:

– Labor, 37 percent more ($446)
– Rota Municipality, 20 percent more ($1,078)
– Lands and Natural Resources, 10 percent more ($1,117)
– Saipan Municipality, 3 percent more ($58).