Student Housing

Student Apartments, Student Condos

Ikehu Utility Solutions offers both code-compliant submetering systems and customized Ratio Utility Billing Systems (RUBS) for student housing. From system design and installation to monthly meter reading and billing and ongoing service we handle everything so you don’t have to!

We provide submetering services that include installation, 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, student housing 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 being 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.

Why Should You Submeter?

Submetering systems provides several benefits, whether promoting conservation, operationally or a combination thereof. Some of the major benefits are:

Promoting conservation
Reducing your administrative burden
Stabilizing rents
Reducing operating costs thereby increasing property value
Improving cash flow

Ikehu Utility Solutions Makes Submetering Simple

Ikehu Utility Solutions provides an easy, transparent, and seamless solution – managing the entire process from start to finish so you do not have to. From project management and planning to resident and management education to billing and collections, we are your partner.

We Do The Research For You

At Ikehu Utility Solutions, we believe that you must be fully informed about your options prior to making decisions regarding submetering. Ikehu Utility Solutions will provide each property owner and/or manager with a comparative recommendation to consider. We do the groundwork, provide the due diligence and rationale so you can make a more informed decision.

A Project Management Focus

Following the Project Management Institute (PMI) principals each project is carefully planned and organized to accomplish a specific objective. Ikehu Utility Solutions offers project management specific to utility-related programs within our area of expertise. The core of project management is managed expectation.

A successful project manager must simultaneously manage the four basic elements of a project: resources, time, money and most importantly, scope. All these elements are interrelated. Each must be managed effectively. All must be managed together if the projects and the project manager, are to be a success. Resources reference the people/contractors, equipment and material required. Time is the project duration – start to finish. Money refers to the financial requirements and expectation including contingencies necessary for a successful project.

Finally, scope is the detail of project size, project goals and requirements. The scope should set specific goals and expectations. The scope should be agreed upon by all involved to ensure there is accurate and objective information, specific to performance expectations. In short, you cannot effectively manage the resources, time and money in a project unless you actively manage the project scope.

State-Of-The-Art, Web-Based Billing System

Ikehu Utility Solutions utilizes a state-of-the-art, web-based billing system. Residents will appreciate the benefits our system provides, including access to their account, in real-time, 24/7 via the web. Convenient online payment options via eCheck and credit card are also available to the resident through their online account.

24/7 property managers Access

Ikehu Utility Solutions’ property management access allows property managers to view the utility consumption of each building and/or unit, run reports and perform various functions via the web 24/7, in real time! Some of the key reports and functions the property manager has are:

Monthly Consumption profiling: Allows you to view water, electricity and/or gas consumption monthly for the entire building or by each individual unit.
Monthly Billing: See what Ikehu Utility Solutions has billed each tenant for. You can download a comprehensive report for the entire property or pull up individual copies of actual invoices from any current or past tenant.
Aging Accounts Receivable: A comprehensive Accounts Receivable aging report.
Over 95 Standard Reports: A variety of reports to meet your property specific requirements.

What Are The Steps To Start A Submetering Program?

There are a few requirements to submeter utilities at any multifamily building to consider first. To submeter water each unit must have an individual hot and cold water line. Typically these units will have individual shut-off valves as well. To submeter electricity each unit must have an individual main breaker or breaker panel. To submeter gas there needs to be a single gas line servicing each unit and/or appliance (water heater, heater, fireplace, etc.)
Contact Ikehu Utility Solutions for a free quote. It will help to provide us with a copy of a recent utility bill for the utilities you are interested in submetering.
A property survey will be completed and a detailed proposal will be developed and delivered to the owner or property manager. The proposal will include the technical aspects of the proposed system, the cost and payment options for the system.
Once the decision has been made to start submetering Ikehu Utility Solutions will develop a detailed installation plan for approval by the owner or property manager. Once the schedule has been agreed on Ikehu Utility Solutions will send each resident an introduction letter along with their scheduled installation date and time. This letter will also include additional information about why this is being done and what services Ikehu Utility Solutions will be providing. It is our goal to answer any resident questions so you don’t have to!
After the meters are installed, they are all read on the same day each month. Bills are produced and mailed or emailed to each resident. Ikehu Utility Solutions provides multiple payment options including online payments, payments over the phone, AutoPay and payments by mail.
The money collected by Ikehu Utility Solutions is sent monthly to the owner or property manager who in turn pays the utility bill just as they have done in the past.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Student Housing

Why Should You Submeter?

Ikehu Utility Solutions Makes Submetering Simple

We Do The Research For You

A Project Management Focus

State-Of-The-Art, Web-Based Billing System

24/7 property managers Access

What Are The Steps To Start A Submetering Program?

Ikehu Utility Solutions Customer Testimonials

Recouped Cost

Increased Property Value

Conscious Energy Use

Great Incentives

Responsive and Professional

Seamless Transition

Adding to the Bottom Line

Hawaii Utility Billing Services

Thinking green to keep our planet blue

Hawaii Headquarters

Account Management

Sales Team

Customer Service