Georgia's Water Stewardship Act has required water submetering in new multifamily construction since 2012, and existing buildings can add it any time. NES installs the submeters, reads them daily, and bills your residents across Fulton County. Get a free bid.
NES handles water/sewer, gas, and electric submetering for apartment communities, condominiums, and mobile home parks across Fulton County and the Atlanta area. Install, meter reading, resident billing, and compliance, all handled in-house since 1968.
Fulton County holds most of Atlanta's apartment stock, from the Midtown and Buckhead towers to the garden communities along I-285. Georgia's Water Stewardship Act has required a water submeter on every unit in new multifamily construction since 2012, so newer buildings already have the plumbing and older ones are the retrofit opportunity. Atlanta Watershed Management and Fulton County Public Works set the rates, and NES bills each unit at that rate with no markup.
Yes. Submetering is allowed in Fulton County, Georgia, with some restrictions.
Water submetering follows the Georgia Water Stewardship Act, 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
Gas meters on each unit, read and billed the same way as water.
Electric
Electric submetering on nonproprietary meters you own.
Rules & compliance
Submetering rules & laws in Fulton County
Governing rule: O.C.G.A. 12-5-180.1 · Georgia EPD
Georgia state rules
Georgia's 2010 Water Stewardship Act (O.C.G.A. 12-5-180.1) requires new multifamily buildings permitted after July 1, 2012 to be individually metered or submetered for water
Residents are billed for their measured water and wastewater use, and a public water system cannot charge a fee just for using privately owned submeters
Owners may charge reasonable fees for installing, maintaining, and billing the metering system, and admin fees should be disclosed in the lease
Georgia has no state rule on electric or gas submetering, so the lease governs how those are billed; electric service comes from utilities such as Georgia Power and the EMCs, and natural gas is sold through Georgia's competitive retail market
Submetering is allowed in existing buildings as well as new construction, and NES tracks the current requirements for your property
Local Fulton County requirements
Water and sewer service comes from the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management and Fulton County systems
The City of Atlanta has its own water remetering rules (Code of Ordinances Chapter 154), so resold-water billing inside the city must follow them
Electricity is provided by Georgia Power, and natural gas is sold through Georgia's competitive retail market
We serve communities across Fulton County, including Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, East Point, College Park, and Milton
If Fulton County adds a requirement, NES adjusts your billing before it becomes a problem.
How NES keeps you compliant
Tracks every Georgia and local rule that affects your property
General information only, not legal advice; NES assumes no liability for reliance. Confirm current rules with the Georgia EPD or a qualified attorney.
Why owners in the Atlanta area use NES
Per gallon. Residents pay for what they actually use.
15-30%. Lower utility consumption.
Under 24 hr. Leaks flagged the same day.
What happens after you call
Step 1
Free assessment
We review your master-meter bills and unit count, then model what you would recover. There is no charge for this.
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
337-unit apartment communityWater
34% lower
water use per unit in submetered units
Not yet metered100%
Submetered66%
The property added meters as leases renewed. Midway, the 168 submetered units averaged 3,868 gallons per unit per month against 5,846 for the 169 not yet metered, and their average bill was 36% lower ($54.22 vs $84.72). Figures from NES property records.
140-home community, New MexicoWater & sewer
$264 / yr
owner's annual water and sewer cost, down from $26,400
Before submetering$26,400 / yr
After submetering$264 / yr
The owner had been absorbing the whole master-meter bill. After metering each home, residents paid for what they used. Figures from NES property records.
Real NES properties. Results vary by property, utility rates, and resident mix.
Submetering in nearby Georgia cities
NES installs and runs submetering across Georgia. 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. Daily reads also catch leaks early, and common-area water stops getting spread across everyone's rent. Payback usually lands within 12 to 18 months.
Yes. Georgia's Water Stewardship Act (O.C.G.A. 12-5-180.1) requires new multifamily buildings permitted after July 1, 2012 to be individually metered or submetered for water, and submetering is allowed in existing buildings too. Residents are billed for their measured use, and owners may charge reasonable installation, maintenance, and billing fees, disclosed in the lease. Georgia has no state rule on electric or gas submetering, so the lease governs those. NES tracks every requirement so your property stays compliant.
Georgia's 2010 Water Stewardship Act (O.C.G.A. 12-5-180.1) requires new multifamily buildings permitted after July 1, 2012 to be individually metered or submetered for water. Utility service itself in Fulton County falls under the Georgia EPD. NES tracks the current Georgia and local requirements for your address, so billing is set up to match the rule.
Water and sewer service comes from the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management and Fulton County systems. NES works with whichever provider serves your property, installs the submeters, reads them, pays the master-meter bill, and bills your residents in-house across the Atlanta area.
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 an estimate. You are not signing anything.
No. NES installs nonproprietary meters that other companies can read, The meters are yours, and extended warranties are available if you want one.
See what your Fulton 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 an estimate.