Submetering Apartments in Pinellas County, Florida
Most Pinellas County apartment communities sit on a single Pinellas County Utilities master meter, and the owner eats the bill. NES installs the submeters, reads them daily, pays the master-meter bill, and bills your residents for their own use. Get a free bid.
NES handles water, gas & electric submetering for apartment communities, condominiums, and mobile home parks across Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area. Install, meter reading, resident billing, and compliance, all handled in-house since 1968.
Pinellas is the most densely populated county in Florida, built out from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs with older garden apartments, condo conversions, and new mid-rises downtown. Water comes from three systems depending on the address, Pinellas County Utilities, St. Petersburg, or Clearwater, and NES bills each community at the rate its own utility charges. Florida's 367.022 rule sets the ceiling: the utility's actual charge plus up to 9 percent for meter reading and billing, and nothing more.
Yes. Submetering is allowed in Pinellas County, Florida, with some restrictions.
Owners who bill at no more than the utility's actual charge are exempt from Florida PSC regulation, and local rules vary by city, so 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.
Water, sewer, and electric submetering are allowed in Florida at the state level; gas is the exception, since Florida PSC rule 25-7.058 bars reselling gas from a PSC-regulated gas utility
Florida law lets owners submeter water and sewer and bill residents at no more than the utility's actual charge, plus a surcharge of up to 9 percent of the actual cost of water and wastewater service, limited to the actual cost of meter reading and billing (Section 367.022(9))
Owners who stay within those limits are exempt from Florida Public Service Commission regulation under Section 367.022, Florida Statutes
Electric submetering is allowed under the Florida PSC's master-metering rule (Fla. Admin. Code R. 25-6.049), which lets the owner apportion the utility's billed cost and recover no more than that; new construction after 1981 must be individually metered
Billing fees are not allowed on electric or gas, so those pass through at the utility's actual cost
County and city rules vary, and several Florida cities require registration or limit what residents can be billed, which NES tracks for your address
Local Pinellas County requirements
Water is provided by Pinellas County Utilities in unincorporated areas, the City of St. Petersburg Water Resources in St. Pete, and Clearwater Public Utilities in Clearwater
Electricity is provided by Duke Energy Florida, and natural gas by the city-owned Clearwater Gas System in north and central Pinellas or TECO Peoples Gas in Largo, Pinellas Park, and the south county
No county or city ordinance adds to the state rule, so an owner bills at no more than the utility's charge plus the 9 percent Florida allowance under Section 367.022
We serve communities across Pinellas County, including St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Seminole, and Tarpon Springs
If Pinellas County adds a requirement, NES adjusts your billing before it becomes a problem.
How NES keeps you compliant
Tracks every Florida and local rule that affects your property
General information only, not legal advice; NES assumes no liability for reliance. Confirm current rules with the Florida PSC or a qualified attorney.
Why owners across Tampa Bay 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
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.
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 Florida cities
NES installs and runs submetering across Florida. 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. Florida law lets owners submeter water and sewer and bill residents at no more than the utility's actual charge, plus a surcharge of up to 9 percent of the actual cost of water and wastewater service, limited to the actual cost of meter reading and billing (Section 367.022(9)). Owners who stay within those limits are exempt from Florida Public Service Commission regulation under Section 367.022, Florida Statutes. Electric submetering falls under the PSC's master-metering rule, and billing fees are not allowed on electric or gas. Local rules vary by county and city, and NES tracks every requirement so your property stays compliant.
Water, sewer, and electric submetering are allowed in Florida at the state level; gas is the exception, since Florida PSC rule 25-7.058 bars reselling gas from a PSC-regulated gas utility. Utility service itself in Pinellas County falls under the Florida PSC. NES tracks the current Florida and local requirements for your address, so billing is set up to match the rule.
Water is provided by Pinellas County Utilities in unincorporated areas, the City of St. Petersburg Water Resources in St. Pete, and Clearwater Public Utilities in Clearwater. 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 Tampa Bay 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 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 Pinellas 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.