New Construction

Multifamily, Apartments, Condominiums, Townhomes, Public Housing, & Military

Ikehu Utility Solutions offers code-compliant submetering systems for all types of new construction projects. Whether your project requires submeters or is a certified LEED project we handle every aspect from system design and installation to maintenance and ongoing service.

We provide submetering services that include reading and billing of equipment, and servicing of non-proprietary water, gas, and electric meter systems, and Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) systems from industry leading manufacturers. We are dedicated to the seamless transition from resident introduction/notification to installation to resident billing and collections.

With more than 20 years of experience in multifamily, condominium, commercial, new construction, mobile home and military submetering systems, our knowledgeable equipment technicians ensure proper installation and maintenance and monitor your system performance – working with your site maintenance staff to correct common issues and minimize service costs.

Ikehu Utility Solutions is committed to be an industry leader in customer service. We offer extended hours of live support. This allows us to respond to and follow up with residents, community staff, management, and owners without delay. Service requests and questions are handled in a routine and detailed manner, allowing us to track, respond to, and resolve customer issues quickly and professionally.

New Construction Submetering Products and Services

Ikehu Utility Solutions can provide electric, gas, water and sewer wireless submetering systems for any new construction project. We work directly with the architect, general contractors, owner and management companies to ensure that when owners or residents move in, the system is operational, and billing can begin immediately.

We are a professional service company providing equipment specification and supply. Most installations are completed by the project MEP subcontractor. Ikehu Utility Solutions will coordinate with local subcontractors through all phases of the installation giving the General Contractor a single point of contact.

Site Survey

From the project profile, a comprehensive checklist of items is prepared, for the technician during the site visit. This makes the visit efficient for the technician and site personnel. There are many factors that have to be taken into account for a proper installation to take place. Factors such as construction of buildings, electric, gas or water system layouts, building proximities, changes in elevation on the site, heating/cooling systems details, etc., affect the system design.

Scope Of Work

Utilizing the data available, a scope of work is developed summarizing the objective of the project, the equipment and technology to be utilized and desired result. The design build scope of work is made specific yet flexible enough to deliver a quality product, based on client expectations and a valued price.

Bid Documents

Bid documents include equipment specifications, installation guidelines, pricing and contract with terms. The documents outline site personnel and installation contractors’ responsibilities.

Project Management

Professional installation is the result of proper planning, communication and execution. All aspects of the project are coordinated through the project administrator. This is done to establish a single point of contact and accountability. While installation work is taking place, a project manager will supervise quality assurance checks to ensure the highest quality of work.

Ikehu Utility Solutions is committed to a professional installation. As certified Project Management Professionals (PMP), we have the expertise and knowledge that is necessary to insure the quality of the installation.

Set-Up & Quality Control

Upon installation, the project administrator monitors equipment an installation. The project administrator maintains oversight 3 to 6 months to insure the project meets the project specification. They also coordinate with the installers and billing departments to address the accuracy of the meter reads and bills.

After installation, Ikehu Utility Solutions reviews the installation and billing information. The site is set-up consistent with the contracted agreement. After 3 to 6 months the project administrator transfers the site to the Account Manager. The account manager will become the single point of contact for all aspects of the site.

Maintenance

The account manager prepares monthly site performance reports. The accounting team will manually analyze the daily data on a monthly basis, to look for any possible anomalies. From the data, service work can be coordinated with onsite personnel and the service technicians, to address issues as they arise in a timely manner.

Recouped Cost

The results did not disappoint me. In December the bills declined after we began billing residents for their water consumption. In March 2003 and April 2003 bills were approximately $270 per day; May fell to $254. The difference between $462 in April 2001 and $270 in April 2003 is $192 per day – a payback of less than one year. The payback actually is much faster because we are collecting about $2000 each month from the billing program, an amount that should double by year-end as new leases are signed.

Increased Property Value

Many other property owners have told me that they do not have the money to make the initial investment to install meters. But I recommend that they find a way to fund it because the payback is rapid — usually about one year to 18 months, and the revenue recovery is ongoing. For example, when we purchased a 169 apartment home community in Indianapolis, I asked our bank to add the cost of meter installation onto our loan, which they readily did after I demonstrated how the program significantly increases property value. It cost about $225 per apartment home to install the gas submeters at the property, for a total of $38,025, and our mortgage increased by only $500 per month. The gas bill for that property alone is $85,000 per year and we recover about 70 percent of those costs, after factoring out common area and vacant apartment home costs, a savings of $59,500 per year, which far surpasses the initial installation cost. Another benefit is that our property value has increased exponentially, which I calculated by taking the $59,500 at a 9.5 percent cap rate (rates can vary) which raised the property value by more than $500,000.

Adding to the Bottom Line

We have calculated the increase in property value that comes along with submetering. For instance, on a property with 285 apartment homes with an average water bill of $7,000 per month, we can add up to $6,000 or more per month to the bottom line. At a 9 percent capitalization rate, that equates to a property value increase of $800,000.

Conscious Energy Use

An obvious trend has emerged now that residents are responsible for their own utility bills. Before the days of submetering, it was not uncommon to see windows open or hear air conditioners running in the middle of winter with heaters going full blast. It was a way to cool down the apartment, but now that residents are responsible for their own bills, they tend to just turn down the heat.

Great Incentives

Accurately monitoring each apartment home’s electrical usage gives greater incentive for residents to conserve energy, since they are paying for exactly what they use. During a one-year period, an average of 17 percent less energy was consumed in the submetered residences.

Seamless Transition

Ikehu Utility Solutions has done an excellent job with our properties. They are very professional and have seamlessly transitioned many of our apartment buildings to the Ratio Utility Billing program, as well as setting up online automated meter reading and billing with our newer properties. I would recommend them to small and large property owners alike.

Responsive and Professional

We have found Ikehu Utility Solutions to be an extremely professional company. Their representatives are always responsive and attentive to our questions, as well as being very knowledgeable of all state regulations regarding utility billing. They gave us suggestions for increasing our revenue and we have seen a marked increase in collections and revenue since we started using their services. We are very pleased with all aspects of their service and look forward to a long, continued relationship with Ikehu Utility Solutions.

New Construction

New Construction Submetering Products and Services

Site Survey

Scope Of Work

Bid Documents

Project Management

Set-Up & Quality Control

Maintenance

Ikehu Utility Solutions Customer Testimonials

Recouped Cost

Increased Property Value

Adding to the Bottom Line

Conscious Energy Use

Great Incentives

Seamless Transition

Responsive and Professional

Hawaii Utility Billing Services

Thinking green to keep our planet blue

Hawaii Headquarters

Account Management

Sales Team

Customer Service