The Industry Standard
NES sets the precedent in submetering and utility management, and has helped write submetering regulations around the country.
Family-run utility management since 1968.
From one employee typing bills on a Commodore 64 to a 200+ member team sending millions of utility bills a year. Privately owned, U.S.-based, built on service.
Our team is actually your team. We never forget whom we serve, and our staff includes professionals in the fields of accounting, customer service, law, IT, collections, construction, and technical services.
58
Years in Business
One of the most experienced in the USA
12-18
Mo. Typical Payback
On submetering investment
43+
States Served
Nationwide utility management
200+
Team Members
All in-house, no subcontractors
Our story
From one employee to a 200+ member team.
NES started in St. Louis, Missouri in 1968 and moved to Florida in 1984. The current owner bought the company in 1988, when there was a single employee: the owner, typing the first client’s utility bills on a Commodore 64 for an apartment community in St. Petersburg, Florida. That same owner still runs NES today, with a 200+ member team sending millions of utility bills a year. One thing hasn’t changed: the friendly, professional service that sets NES apart.
American Owned & Operated
The team is based in Safety Harbor, Florida, in the Tampa Bay area. The bilingual call center is staffed by NES employees, so you reach a person, not a robot.
Integrity
Privately owned and run with honesty and transparency, with an in-house compliance department that tracks the latest regulations.
Complete Utility Management
Installation, billing, collections, and repairs are all handled in house, so one partner can simplify your entire portfolio.
Five decades of firsts
NES Milestones
- 1968
Founded as National Utility Service in St. Louis, Missouri.
- 1984
The company relocates from St. Louis to Florida, and takes the National Exemption Service name after the move.
- 1988
Current ownership acquires NES and is still involved day to day.
- 1991
Water submetering and RUBS billing launched as core services.
- 1994
Joins NSUAA (now UMCA), the industry's first conservation association.
- 2004
Works with regulators to help draft NCUC submetering rules.
- 2018
Celebrates 50 years in business with a refreshed brand.
- 2020
Utility Bill Pay by NES launches.
- 2021
MyReads daily leak detection launches.
- 2024
Adds A.I. high-usage detection to alert communities of leaks.
- 2026
Named a Tampa Bay Times Top Workplace.
Five decades, one privately held company. Still owner-run.
Why NES
What you get with NES that you don’t get everywhere else
Most providers do one piece and hand you the rest. NES supplies it, installs it, bills it, collects it, and stands behind it. Privately owned and independent since 1968.
Optional extended warranties
NES offers optional extended warranty coverage on the submeters it installs. If a covered meter fails, NES replaces it, and because the equipment is nonproprietary you are never stuck with hardware only one vendor can service.
Nonproprietary equipment, no lock-in
Every meter NES installs is standards-grade and readable by any vendor. The equipment is yours, at cost. If you ever leave, the hardware keeps working, with no re-install and no ransom at renewal.
Bilingual, in-house support
When residents call, they reach a real NES employee, in English or Spanish. We don't outsource the customer experience your residents actually touch.
One partner, end to end
Supply, install, read, bill, collect, and stay compliant, all run by NES employees under one contract. Most vendors stop at the install and hand you the rest.
Awards & recognition
Recognized for the results and the team behind them
NextConservation Award
NextCentury
Recognized for water conservation achieved through submetering.
Top Workplaces
Tampa Bay Times · 2026
Named a top place to work. This is the same team that answers your residents' calls.
UMCA Board
Utility Management & Conservation Association
NES leadership serves on the board, helping shape industry standards.
“National Exemption Service has been a pleasure to work with for the last year.”
Leadership
Meet the CEO, Jerry Baker.
Careers
Join the NES team.
NES was named a Tampa Bay Times Top Workplace in 2026. We hire across installation, customer service, billing, compliance, IT, and account management. Most of our team has been here for years. If you want in-house, U.S.-based work with a company that still answers the phone, we’d like to meet you.
- Top WorkplaceTampa Bay Times, 2026
- 200+team members
- In-houseU.S.-based staff
- Since 1968privately owned
About NES
Questions about the company, answered.
NES is a privately owned utility billing and submetering company founded in 1968. The team of 200+ is based in Tampa Bay, Florida, and serves multifamily properties in 43+ states. Installation, daily meter reading, resident billing, collections, and compliance are all handled in-house.
Water, gas, and electric submetering, ratio and formula-based utility billing, utility bill pay, collections, vacant unit cost recovery, and MyReads leak detection. NES installs and warranties the meters, reads them daily, and bills residents directly, with a bilingual in-house support team.
Headquarters are in Safety Harbor, Florida, in the Tampa Bay area. The bilingual call center is staffed in-house, so residents reach a real NES employee. Field technicians work across the 43+ states NES serves.
NES is privately owned. The same owner has run the company since 1988 and is still involved in day to day operations, which is why clients sometimes get a personal call from the owner.
Often, yes. NES was named a Tampa Bay Times Top Workplace in 2026 and hires across installation, customer service, billing, compliance, and account management. See the Careers page or email careers@submeter.com.
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