Who is ista North America?
How will you read our meters? Will we be disturbed?
Who do I inform about my move in or move out?
Who do I contact if I have a question regarding my utility bill?
How will I be billed?
How often will I be billed?
Are there ways to reduce my usage?
Why do on-base residents need to start paying their utility bills?
Will we need to pay for electric, water, sewer, gas, and trash pick-up?
When do resident-paid utilities take effect?
How will our monthly utility usage be determined?
What are our utility rates, and how do they compare to the local community?
It looks like we are getting a great deal on electricity, but are paying a little more than the community for gas. Why is that?
Will we have to pay our BAH plus our utility costs, or are utility costs included?
How much will my utility allowance be?
Is this enough money to cover my costs?
What if our utility costs are more than the allowance? Will we need to pay additional money? How about if our utility costs are less than the allowance? Will we get money back?
Will our utility rates fluctuate during the year like they do in the community?
Will we be billed monthly?
How much can we expect our utility bills to be?
Do we have an opportunity to reduce our utility usage below last year?s levels?
What are some ways to reduce our utility bills?

Q: Who is ista North America?

A: ista North America is a third-party nationwide submetering billing company. We do not supply the utility service; however, we provide the reading, billing, collections support and customer service for our clients.
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Q: How will you read our meters? Will we be disturbed?

A: Electricity - All houses are individually metered for electricity, and meters will be read monthly.

Gas (if applicable - Laguna Shores/SOQs only) These houses are on a master meter for gas, and meters will be read monthly.

You will not be disturbed by electric or gas meter readings.
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Q: Who do I inform about my move in or move out?

A: The Housing Office is responsible for opening and closing your account with ista North America. The management staff will advise ista North America of all move-in and move-out information.
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Q: Who do I contact if I have a question regarding my utility bill?

A: The ista North America Customer Service Department may be reached via e-mail at inquiries@ista-na.com or via phone Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Our toll-free number is (800)- LOW-3014 (800-569-3014). You can also access your account online at www.ista-direct.com.
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Q: How will I be billed?

A: Residents will receive a bill from ista North America monthly. It will show usage and display information in an easy-to-read graph. Using the consumption records, residents will be able to track their usage and adjust it if necessary to avoid out of pocket costs. The same information will be available on the Web at www.ista-direct.com.. This site will have personal account information available on it 24 hours a day.
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Q: How often will I be billed?

A: Consumption reports/Billing Statements are generated once a month. You will receive one report every 30 days.
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Q: Are there ways to reduce my usage?

A: Yes. Review our Conservation Tips or visit www.ista-direct.com. to learn more.
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Q: Why do on-base residents need to start paying their utility bills?

A: The Public/Private Venture (PPV) agreement established to construct our housing on base requires that residents pay for their own gas and/or electric utility usage. This is a contractual requirement as well as part of the overall privatization initiative that we do not have the power to change. However, a utility allowance built into your BAH will be used to help offset the utility costs (see additional info below).
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Q: Will we need to pay for electric, water, sewer, gas, and trash pick-up?

A: No. All residents will need to pay for electric usage. Houses in Laguna Shores and the Senior Officers' Quarters also use natural gas. These residents will need to pay for their gas usage in addition to electricity. Your water, sewer, and trash service are already paid for as part of your rent and will not require a separate allowance.
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Q: When do resident-paid utilities take effect?

A: Residents were supposed to begin paying utilities in January 2005, but this has been delayed numerous times to help prepare our residents. The new date will be November 1, 2007. We can not push back the date any longer. However, residents with existing leases will not have to pay for their own utility usage until their current lease expires after the November 1, 2007 cutoff date.

For example: If you are on a month-to-month lease, you will convert to resident-paid utilities beginning the month of November-2007.

If you signed a one-year lease beginning in November 2006, you will convert to resident-paid utilities beginning when your lease expires in November 2007.

If you signed a one-year lease beginning in September 2007, you will convert to resident-paid utilities beginning when your lease expires in September 2008.
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Q: How will our monthly utility usage be determined?

A: Monthly usage for electricity is individually metered at each house. Your meters will be read by the PPV housing company on a monthly basis, and your monthly usage will be determined from those meter readings. Gas (used only in the Laguna Shores and Senior Officers' Quarters housing areas) is not individually metered at each house. Gas meters will be installed some time in the future to accurately measure individual gas usage at each house. Until then, two methods are being used:

In Laguna Shores, a master gas meter for the entire neighborhood will be read monthly. Because all houses in Laguna Shores are the same size, residents will each be allocated an equal portion of the total monthly gas consumption for the neighborhood. With 100 units in the neighborhood, this means the monthly consumption will be measured and divided by 100, and each resident will be equally responsible for their 1/100th share of gas consumption.

In the Senior Officers' Quarters, no individual meters or master meter currently exist. These houses will be charged for a constant average natural gas usage of 3.4 MBTU/month. This quantity was the average usage per unit per month of the Laguna Shores housing units during FY07 and is the best available estimate of gas usage in the SOQ units until individual meters are installed.
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Q: What are our utility rates, and how do they compare to the local community?

A: For FY 2008 (October 2007-September 2008), you will pay for electricity at 10.115 cents per kWh. The average cost for residential electricity in the community is 12.75 cents (as of June 2007), so your electricity costs are over 20% lower than what you would pay in the community. You will pay for natural gas at $18.30 per MBTU. The average cost for natural gas in the community is $14.88 per MBTU, based on an average usage of 3 MBTU per month, so your gas costs are just over 20% higher than the community. However, remember when comparing costs that you will not have to pay any utility hook-up fees or security deposits, which can run as much as $50-$100 depending on your personal credit history.
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Q: It looks like we are getting a great deal on electricity, but are paying a little more than the community for gas. Why is that?

A: First, keep in mind that with an average usage of 3.4 MBTU per month for natural gas, your current natural gas charges per month will only be an average of $12 per month more than the community. For those of you who use natural gas in your houses, electricity costs are the larger portion of your bill, and your current electric rate savings over what the community pays are significant.

The utility rates charged on base are mandated by financial regulations associated with the Navy Working Capital Fund. In simple terms, this means that the Navy must charge both its cost to purchase utility commodities on the local market, as well as its cost to maintain its distribution system on the installation. The Navy is able to purchase electricity at a significantly discounted rate compared to what a typical residential consumer would pay. Even after adding the cost to maintain its electrical distribution system on base, the rate charged by the Navy is still less than what you can find out in town. In the case of gas, there have been recent significant costs associated with the Navy's maintenance of its natural gas distribution system at Navy bases in the southeast that were impacted by Hurricane Katrina. This has caused a spike in natural gas rates during FY08 which cannot be avoided due to Navy Working Capital Fund regulations. These regulations require that we make up for losses during FY06 during FY08. We expect natural gas rates to drop to levels highly competitive with the local area in FY09, possibly as much as 50% less than the community's gas rates.
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Q: Will we have to pay our BAH plus our utility costs, or are utility costs included?

A: You will continue to pay your full BAH. Once resident-paid utilities take effect, a portion of the BAH you already pay will be set aside to pay your utility costs. This will be called your "utility allowance." For example, if your BAH is currently $1094, and your utility allowance is $200 per month, you will continue to pay $1094, of which $200 will be credited toward your monthly utility bill for electric and gas as applicable.
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Q: How much will my utility allowance be?

A: Your utility allowance is based on the size of house you are occupying, and was determined from a baseline measurement of utility consumption during FY07. The monthly utility allowances for FY08 are as follows:

950 SF (Laguna Shores): $200 per month
1488 SF: $185 per month
1674 SF: $209 per month
1798 SF: $214 per month

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Q: Is this enough money to cover my costs?

A: The utility allowances were based on average utility consumption for the houses during FY07, grouped by size. About half the people consumed less than the allowance, and about half consumed more. With the knowledge that you are now responsible for your utility costs, and by applying some basic energy conservation principles, everyone has an opportunity to bring their utility bills under the allowance.
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Q: What if our utility costs are more than the allowance? Will we need to pay additional money? How about if our utility costs are less than the allowance? Will we get money back?

A: If your utility costs exceed your allowance, you will have to pay additional money to cover these costs. If, however, your utility costs are less than your allowance, you will be refunded the difference. An evaluation of your utility charges vs. your utility allowance will be made every month, and you will either receive your refund or be required to pay additional money at that time.
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Q: Will our utility rates fluctuate during the year like they do in the community?

A: No. Your utility rates are fixed for the entire year, and you are protected against rate hikes during that year. The FY08 rates are 10.115 cents/kWh for electricity, and $18.30/MBTU for natural gas. However, new rates will be established for the next fiscal year, beginning October 2008.
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Q: Will we be billed monthly?

A: Yes. As stated earlier, your utility consumption will be measured each month, and you will be billed or refunded accordingly.
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Q: How much can we expect our utility bills to be?

A: Some of you have received a "mock" utility bill within the past few weeks that provided you with an indication of your typical utility usage, and what you would have paid had resident-paid utilities been in effect. Those that have not yet received this bill will receive one before your resident-paid utilities take effect.

During FY07, utility consumption varied significantly from house to house due to a variety of factors. You can compare the following data to your mock bill upon receipt to see whether your utility consumption was above or below the average for your size house:

In our 950 SF houses, average monthly electricity usage ranged from 847 to 2,554 kWh, or $86 to $258 per month. The average monthly cost (for electricity only) was $138. For natural gas, the average monthly usage during FY07 was 3.4 MBTU which equates to $62.22 per month, for a total average monthly cost of approximately $200.

In our 1,488 SF houses, average monthly usage ranged from 1,249 to 3,414 kWh, or $126 to $345 per month. The average monthly cost was $185.

In our 1,674 SF houses, average monthly usage ranged from 1,348 to 5,518 kWh, or $136 to $558 per month. The average monthly cost was $209.

In our 1,798 SF houses, average monthly usage ranged from 1,253 to 2,779 kWh, or $127 to $281 per month. The average monthly cost was $214.
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Q: Do we have an opportunity to reduce our utility usage below last year's levels?

A: Absolutely! Now that your utility costs are your personal responsibility, you have the opportunity to lower your usage and even receive a refund if you stay below last year's average consumption levels. This is a great opportunity to conserve energy which is not only great for the environment, but great for your pocketbook as well! Looking at the wide range of utility consumption in the data provided earlier, it is clear that there are huge opportunities for energy savings, especially for those in the upper end of utility usage during the past year.
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Q: What are some ways to reduce our utility bills?

A: Raising your air conditioning thermostat during the summer and lowering it during the winter will make the most significant impact on your utility costs. Keeping doors and windows closed and turning lights and consumer items off when not needed are also easy ways to reduce your utility bills.
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