(a) Units in a project that includes units designated for both residential and nonresidential use shall have separate meters, or calculations shall be made, or both, as may be practicable, to determine the use by the nonresidential units of utilities, including electricity, water, gas, fuel, oil, sewerage, air conditioning, chiller water, and drainage, and the cost of the utilities shall be paid by the owners of the nonresidential units; provided that the apportionment of the charges among owners of nonresidential units shall be done in a fair and equitable manner as set forth in the declaration or bylaws.

Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this chapter or in a project’s declaration or bylaws the board may authorize the installation of separate meters to determine the use by each of the residential and commercial units of utilities, including electricity, water, gas, fuel, oil, sewerage, and drainage; provided that the cost of installing the meters shall be paid by the association.

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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-42

  • Association: means the unit owners' association organized under section 514B-102 or under prior condominium property regime statutes. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
  • Declaration: means any instrument, however denominated, that creates a condominium, including any amendments to the instrument. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Project: means a real estate condominium project; a plan or project whereby a condominium of two or more units located within the condominium property regime are created. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
  • Unit: means a physical or spatial portion of the condominium designated for separate ownership or occupancy, the boundaries of which are described in the declaration or pursuant to § 514B-35, with an exit to a public road or to a common element leading to a public road. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
  • Unit owner: means the person owning, or the persons owning jointly or in common, a unit and its appurtenant common interest; provided that to such extent and for such purposes as provided by recorded lease, including the exercise of voting rights, a lessee of a unit shall be deemed to be the unit owner. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
(b) Notwithstanding any approval requirements and spending limits contained in a project’s declaration or bylaws, the board of any association may authorize the installation of meters to determine the use by each individual unit of utilities, including electricity, water, gas, fuel, oil, sewerage, air conditioning, chiller water, and drainage; provided that the cost of installing the meters shall be paid by the association. The cost of metered utilities shall be paid by the owners of each unit based on actual consumption and, to the extent not billed directly to the unit owner by the utility provider, may be collected in the same manner as common expense assessments. Owners’ maintenance fees shall be adjusted as necessary to avoid any duplication of charges to owners for the cost of metered utilities.