A growing list of Kaua‘i condo owners are agreeing to have wireless energy management systems such as those made by Energy Eye installed in their rooms. Outrigger Waipouli Beach Chief Engineer Matt Taeza said that with an estimated monthly savings
A growing list of Kaua‘i condo owners are agreeing to have wireless energy management systems such as those made by Energy Eye installed in their rooms.
Outrigger Waipouli Beach Chief Engineer Matt Taeza said that with an estimated monthly savings of $65 to $70, the return on investment for the product is about a year — but the overall savings to the environment could be priceless if this trend continues to spread.
The Energy Eye system senses movement or body heat in a room and adjusts the thermostat to user-selected default settings. When the room becomes vacant, the temperature then returns to another preset level.
In Hawai‘i, this means that when a person enters the room, the air conditioning kicks on and when they leave, it automatically shuts off or is allowed to rise to a higher temperature, said Ari Mesa, Summa Hawai‘i’s vice president of sales.
Summa Hawai‘i is helping to bring Energy Eye to Kaua‘i, where electricity rates remain among the nation’s highest.
“Anyone who doesn’t have something like this already installed can benefit,” said Mesa, who was born and raised in Hawai‘i. “Saving people money is great. Me making money is great. But benefiting Hawai‘i’s economy and environment is even better.”
So far, at least 70 of the 196 rooms at Waipouli Beach Resort on the Eastside have installed the units since condo owners were informed of the product in January.
Taeza said he also installed it in the fitness room at the property after witnessing many guests turn the temperature down to 60 degrees and later leave without resetting the thermostat.
“We’re constantly looking at energy-efficient products that will save our association money and energy,” he said.
Energy Eye first came to Kaua‘i in 2003, Mesa said, when the system was installed at Hanalei Bay Resort.
Other Hawai‘i properties currently using Energy Eye include: ResortQuest Hawai‘i Islander on the Beach, Molokai Ranch, the W Hotel Diamond Head, ResortQuest Kona by the Sea, Gardens of West Maui and the Kahana Beach Resort.
Installing the system in a two-bedroom unit costs $700, Taeza said. Several Hawai‘i electric companies offer rebates per unit installed.
Part of Energy Eye’s growing popularity, he added, is the simplicity to install the system and maintain it.
Energy Eye’s ability to improve energy efficiency, he said, helps in a small way to battle the dependency on imported oil.
“The entire industry should look at going this way,” Taeza said. “With 196 rooms, yeah, there’s an impact … but if we could mandate every complex on this island to get something similar installed … we’d see the big savings.”
