Questions and Answers about the value of Sub-metering:
Why install individual electric meters?
Most importantly, you want to save your AOAO money. We are paying $3.00 dollars for a gallon for gas. This in turn will affect the barrel of oil price and this raises cost for HECO/PUDs to generate electrical power. The additional cost is passed on to the electric consumer as a surcharge increase.
Such increases in electrical power cause major increases in AOAO budget expenses. Because electrical bills must obviously be paid, the budget over run is covered in other projects or repairs. What then follows is an increase in owner fees. Maintenance fee increases are a major concern for unit owners.
What can be done to prevent such increases?
An AOAO can go to it’s members and ask that they cut back on their electrical consumption.
It is human nature, when one has electric utility included in their maintenance fees, one naturally assumes the power is already paid for and one might as well get their dollars worth. Lights are left on; AC running while the windows and sliding doors may be left open. There are no incentives to turn light off as the go out for the day. Individual electric meters will hold everyone accountable for his or her actual usages.
HECO/PUDs will confirm, electrical usages for a mastered meter building will run as much as 25 to 30% greater than and individual metered building.
OR - A sub-metering system can be installed holding each unit accountable for the electrical power used in their own unit. The billing distribution would be based upon individual usage. Amazingly the total bill for the Condominium project would be lower than before. All owners and tenants would think twice about leaving that light or AC unit running. A savings of power for the entire unit would benefit everyone.
What is the best way to obtain a sub-metering system?
You could ask for HECO/PUDs metering. But after looking at the lay out of your building, your buildings electrical service will need to be up-graded. Then an individual electrical conduit will need to be run from the main electrical panel to your electric panel. Visual impact as well as costs exceeding $250,000 dollars or greater could be expected for the electrical up-grade. A customer service fee on each utility bill along with surcharges will be applied. Sub-metering will have only on commercial customer service fee that will be amortized within you cost per kWh.
Would HECO/PUDs read an electric sub-metering system?
In the past, HECOPUD's policy would not provide meter reading of privately owned metering systems.
So what is the best system?
There are several choices. Researching the best one is most important. You need to pay attention to the National and State code requirements for sub-metering systems. There are systems you could get that would save you money, but would not provide you with meters you could ready yourself. According to the Federal standards, meters being used for billing purposes must have an easily read dial on each meter.
Our meters meet all Federal and State requirements and standards.
Who would read the meters?
There are three choices. You could read the meters yourself. You could hire someone to manually read the meters or you could have a computer reading system that would read and record all the meters and give you a report.
What is involved in the installation of a sub-metering system?
Currently, existing electrical junction boxes are situated in two ends of the common hallways. This makes for an ideal situation to place a low profile 3 or four-gang meter above the junction boxes to monitor each units power consumption. No meter would be placed in each unit.
Will my power be turned off?
In most cases not if the contractor utilizes a split core Current Transformer “CT’s”. What are CT’s? This donut like devices mounts over the conductor that provided power to your electric panel? CT’s, measures the current passing through the feeders to your electric sub panel. The CT’s are unique to each unit and will only monitor the power to your personal unit.