Hawaii Energy Presents Owners of Ilikai Apartment Building Inc. $153,000 for Submetering Installation

Posted August 09, 2013

HONOLULU, August 8, 2013 — Public and private sector energy leaders joined Hawaii Energy, the energy efficiency and conservation program for Hawaii, Honolulu and Maui counties, today as the program presented the Owners of Ilikai Apartment Building Inc. (“Ilikai”) a $153,000 incentive check for the installation of a $430,000 submetering system for the building.

“Electricity submeters allow apartment and condo residents to know exactly how much electricity they are utilizing, and help reward those that conserve with lower electric bills,” said Ray Starling, Hawaii Energy Program Director. “It’s a simple way to raise awareness, reduce energy use and save money on monthly bills. I encourage businesses and residents to visit our website to learn more about submetering and the many other incentive opportunities we offer.”

Submetering not only fairly allocates the cost of electricity; it encourages occupants in each unit to conserve energy. The new submetering system at the Ilikai is estimated to save the property approximately $270,000 and 995,000 kilowatt hours per year (based on demand charge of $24.34/kW per month and electricity rate of $0.241752/kWh). The demand charge represents the electric utility's cost to maintain the capacity to meet a commercial customer's highest demand for a fixed period. “The Ilikai is a Waikiki landmark location. Since 1964, we’ve seen Waikiki’s skyline and our state’s electric rates rise,” John Popovich, Ilikai General Manager. “Our owners and guests directly benefit from improvements that make this a more energy-efficient building. In addition to submetering, we are considering other measures including split system variable refrigerant flow air conditioning systems and energy management guest room controls.”

Jeff Dickinson, Vice President and Senior Property Manager for Hawaiian Properties, Ltd., worked with Lisa Harmon, Business Program Specialist at Hawaii Energy, to procure the $153,000 rebate on behalf of the AOAO Ilikai.

Hawaii Energy offers a substantial incentive of $150 per unit (up to 50 percent of the total project cost) for submeters used for billing. Depending on the property and the occupants’ willingness to change their behavior, electricity reduction can range from 3 to 25 percent.

For more information about Hawaii Energy, visit www.HawaiiEnergy.com.