5 Benefits of Submetering Your Property

1. It cuts water consumption across the property

When a property runs on a single master meter, no resident has a reason to use less, because the bill is the same no matter what they do. Once each unit is metered and billed for its own use, that changes fast. Communities that submeter water usually see consumption fall 15 to 30 percent, because people notice a dripping faucet, a long shower, or a running toilet when it shows up on their own bill.

2. The owner stops absorbing the utility bill

Recovering operating expense is the main reason most owners submeter. Residents become responsible for their own usage, so the water and sewer cost the property used to carry in rent moves to the people who create it. Because residents pay for what they use, most properties earn back the install cost in 12 to 18 months, and some recover it sooner once leak detection and resident billing are both running.

3. Cost is allocated fairly

Under an even split, a single careful household subsidizes a wasteful neighbor. A submeter ties each bill to the gallons that unit actually used, so a two-person apartment is not paying the same as a five-person one next door. Common-area water, such as irrigation and pool fill, is measured separately and stays with the owner rather than being pushed onto residents.

4. Leaks and plumbing problems surface early

• NES reads the meters daily, so an abnormal spike shows up within about a day instead of on next month's bill
• A running toilet from a worn flapper, the most common hidden leak, can waste 200 or more gallons a day and is caught before it runs up the bill
• Accurate per-unit data points maintenance straight to the unit with the problem

5. It can raise the property's value and is handled for you

Lower operating cost and recovered utility expense improve net operating income, which can lift the value of an apartment community or mobile home park. NES installs and maintains the submeters, reads them, bills residents, and answers resident questions through an in-house bilingual team, so the property gets the benefits without taking on the work. NES specializes in properties with 80 or more units and serves communities in more than 43 states, with an in-house compliance team that tracks state and county rules so billing stays correct.