Throughout its 56-year history, IDF commanders had no idea how much electricity their units used. Although the IDF has undertaken various measures to prevent waste of power, such as information campaigns and switching to fluorescent lighting, it has resorted to something new in the past year: commanders from the battalion level and up have lately been sent electricity bills by e-mail, just like any citizen or business.
The electricity bill for IDF units totaled NIS 210 million in 2003. 85% of this amount - NIS 170 million - was paid to Israel Electric Corporation (IEC). The water bill was NIS 32 million and the heating bill was NIS 12 million. In the past year, the IDF asked IEC to install meters at every IDF unit and on every floor at the high-rises at the IDF headquarters. Every unit's electricity consumption is now metered.
Electricity bills sent to each unit state the exact amount of power, just as on ordinary IEC bills, as well as including tables and columns detailing consumption. The only difference is that a sentence at the bottom of the bill that reads, "Not for payment." Commanders are not required - yet - to pay electricity bills from their unit's accounts. Initially, the bills are intended to get commanders used to having their unit's power consumption metered.
At a meeting on Sunday, IDF Technology and Logistics Division chief of staff Brig.-Gen. Reuven First decided to cut the IDF's electricity use by 5-10% over the coming year. Units that exceed their electricity quotas will not be punished initially, but units that reduce their power consumption will receive incentives and their success publicized. Later, sanctions may be applied against units that exceed their electricity quotas.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on July 6, 2004