Kittle
Kittle Improves Resident Quality of Life by Reducing Water Expenses and Reinvesting into Properties. ION helps Kittle reduce water costs by approximately $4.2M annually.
Problem
With more than 20,000 apartment homes and over 35,000 residents in its portfolio, Kittle Group is a leading developer and manager of affordable multi-unit housing. Improving residents’ quality of life is at the heart of Kittle’s mission. One way it aims to do so is by better managing costs, allowing Kittle to reinvest savings into its properties.
Water and sewer costs are one of Kittle’s biggest expenses. To manage water, Kittle was using a sub metering system across 35% of its properties that was antiquated and didn’t provide detailed data. The remainder of its properties weren’t sub metered.
“We were managing water consumption blindly,” said Robyn Eaton, Senior Vice President – Portfolio Management & Analysis, Kittle. “We wrote a big check every month and were managing water with 25% of the information we needed.”
Solution
To better manage water consumption, Kittle turned to ION for its water optimization platform. ION’s platform improves water efficiencies by identifying and analyzing unit-level water events, pinpointing malfunctions, and generating automated work orders to stop water loss. The platform is proven to reduce and maintain water consumption and costs by up to 70% compared to industry averages.
“When we transitioned to ION, it immediately removed many of the unknowns,” Eaton said. “We could see where water loss was due to leaks, and we could see where information from the billing company was different than what ION was seeing. This allowed us to understand where there were opportunities to correct issues, educate our residents and conserve water.”
“Outside of taxes, water and sewer are the highest and most controllable expenses we have. Anytime we have a big expense like this and can reduce it, it gives us breathing room to do more. ION helped us to really dive in and monetize their platform which has been extremely valuable for our properties.”
Results
- ION provides access to approximately $4.2M annually across Kittle’s portfolio for reinvestment into property improvements
- ION helped reduce unit-level water costs from $1,000/unit/year to $300/unit/year
- ION helped reduce water consumption by 56% compared to industry averages enhancing Kittle’s sustainability program
“If you’re not submetering and monitoring with the level of accuracy and timeliness that ION’s meters produce, you are leaving money on the table,” Eaton said. “Water is likely the one thing you should be most focused on that would have the greatest impact.”
Building a Water Positive World
