Vilnius, Lithuania
U.S. Embassy Vilnius instituted a program to cut energy use at its residences, called ‘TAIP! We Can Do It’ (‘taip’ is Lithuanian for ‘yes’). The program educates Post residents about their energy use by distributing a chart detailing each unit’s consumption of electricity, gas, and water for the month. Usage is compared to the previous year and to average embassy residential use, which together provide benchmarks and assist with goal-setting.
Residents can choose to participate in a friendly competition, in which awards are presented to the residence with the greatest energy consumption reduction. As motivation, tips on energy conservation are distributed every month and building statistics are posted in the Embassy newsletter, increasing awareness of energy use in the Post community.
Although residents of Embassy housing do not pay for utilities directly, this program encourages conservation and environmental stewardship among residents, reduces Post utility costs, and contributes to achieving the federal performance goals for energy reduction.
Figure 7: U.S. Embassy Vilnius Marine Security Guard Residence dropped its utility usage by 6% for the month of January between two consecutive years
