Texas lets owners bill residents for submetered or allocated water once the property meets the state's water-conservation preconditions, and owners must register with the PUCT before billing residents. NES installs the submeters, reads them daily, and bills your residents across Fort Bend County. Get a free bid.
NES handles water, gas & electric submetering for apartment communities, condominiums, and mobile home parks across Fort Bend County and the Houston area. Install, meter reading, resident billing, and compliance, all handled in-house since 1968.
Fort Bend is Houston's fastest-growing suburb, and most of it is served not by a city but by one of dozens of Municipal Utility Districts, each with its own water rate. A portfolio in Sugar Land, Missouri City, Katy, and Richmond can sit in four different districts. NES bills every community at its own district's rate, registers each property with the PUCT before the first bill, and keeps the service charge inside the 9 percent cap Texas allows.
Yes. Submetering is allowed in Fort Bend County, Texas, with some restrictions.
It is regulated by the PUCT, and NES handles the requirements for you.
What we submeter
Water & sewer
Per-unit water and sewer metering with 24-hour leak alerts.
Natural gas
Accurate gas reads and resident billing, kept compliant.
Electric
Electric submetering on nonproprietary meters you own.
Rules & compliance
Submetering rules & laws in Fort Bend County
Governing rule: 16 TAC Chapter 24 · PUCT
Texas state rules
Water and sewer submetering falls under the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), in 16 TAC Chapter 24, Subchapter I
Owners must register with the PUCT before billing residents for water and sewer; electric billing currently requires no PUCT registration, and gas billing requires none
Every submeter must be tested for accuracy before service, and all units must use the same unit of measure
PUCT rules set how charges are calculated and what each resident's bill has to show
RUBS (allocated) billing for water and electricity must use PUC approved formulas
Owners may add a surcharge of up to 9 percent on submetered water and sewer charges, and late fees are capped at 5 percent
No administrative fee is allowed on electric billing; on gas, an administrative fee of up to $3.00 is allowed on submetered gas only and must be disclosed in the lease
Water and wastewater submetering rules moved from the TCEQ (30 TAC Chapter 291) to the PUCT in 2014. Electricity submetering has its own PUCT rules.
Local Fort Bend County requirements
Water and sewer in most of the county come from one of dozens of Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs), with city utilities inside Sugar Land and Missouri City, so the provider depends on the exact address
Electricity is delivered by CenterPoint Energy with the retail provider chosen by the property, and natural gas by CenterPoint Energy
MUD water rates differ district to district, and NES bills each community at its own district's rate, which matters when a portfolio spans several MUDs
The county adds no rule of its own, so PUCT registration, the 9 percent service charge cap, and the 5 percent late fee cap from state law are what apply
We serve communities across Fort Bend County, including Sugar Land, Missouri City, Katy and Cinco Ranch, Richmond, Rosenberg, Stafford, Fulshear, Sienna, Riverstone, and Aliana
Our compliance team rechecks Texas and local requirements before billing starts.
How NES keeps you compliant
Tracks every Texas and local rule that affects your property
General information only, not legal advice; NES assumes no liability for reliance. Confirm current rules with the PUCT or a qualified attorney.
Why owners across the Houston area choose NES for submetering
Per gallon. Residents pay for what they actually use.
15-30%. Lower utility consumption.
Under 24 hr. Catch leaks before they cost thousands.
How NES handles it, end to end
Step 1
Free assessment
We review your master-meter bills and unit count, then model the recovery. No cost, no obligation.
Step 2
Install meters
We install nonproprietary meters at each unit. The equipment is yours, and other companies can read it.
Step 3
Read & detect
Daily reads pull usage automatically and flag leaks within 24 hours, before they run up a bill.
Step 4
Bill & support
We bill residents, pay the master-meter utility, and field resident questions in-house, in English and Spanish.
Real NES results
130-home park, TexasWater & sewer
$6,600 / yr
annual water and sewer cost, down from $120,000
Before submetering$120,000 / yr
After submetering$6,600 / yr
The park also gained more than $113,000 in annual revenue once each home was billed for its own use. Figures from NES property records.
337-unit apartment communityWater
36% lower
water use per unit after submetering
Before submetering100%
After submetering64%
Water use fell 36% once residents paid for their own consumption. Average cost per unit went from $84.72 to $54.22 a month, about 2,000 gallons saved per unit. Figures from NES property records.
Real NES properties. Results vary by property, utility rates, and resident mix.
Submetering in nearby Texas cities
NES installs and runs submetering across Texas. See the rules and results for other communities we serve.
Utility submetering puts a meter on each unit that measures and bills its water/sewer, gas, and electric use. The technology has been around since the early 1920s. NES installs the meters, reads them, pays the master-meter bill, and bills your residents, all in-house and with bilingual support.
When residents pay for what they actually use, they cut back. Most properties see 15 to 30 percent lower water use. Submetering also catches leaks early, lets you bill common-area usage accurately, and can raise the value of the property. Payback usually lands within 12 to 18 months.
Yes. In Texas, apartment water and wastewater submetering is regulated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) under 16 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 24. Those rules were previously handled by the TCEQ under 30 TAC Chapter 291. Electricity submetering also falls under PUCT rules. NES tracks every requirement so your property stays compliant.
Water and sewer submetering falls under the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), in 16 TAC Chapter 24, Subchapter I. Utility service itself in Fort Bend County falls under the PUCT. NES tracks the current Texas and local requirements for your address, so billing is set up to match the rule.
NES serves apartment communities, condominiums, and mobile home parks across Fort Bend County and the Houston area, including Sugar Land, Missouri City, Katy and Cinco Ranch, Richmond, Rosenberg, Stafford, Fulshear, Sienna, Riverstone, and Aliana. We confirm the rules for your exact address before we start.
Most submetering installs pay for themselves within 12 to 18 months through the utility cost you recover. We'll run the numbers on your actual master-meter bills and unit count, then send you a clear, no-obligation estimate.
No. NES installs nonproprietary meters that other companies can read, and extended warranties are available on our submeters. You're never locked in.
See what your Fort Bend County property can recover.
Send us your master-meter bills and unit count. We’ll run the numbers on your actual property and get back to you within one business day with a clear, no-obligation estimate.