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 Harris County. Get a free bid.
NES handles water, gas & electric submetering for apartment communities, condominiums, and mobile home parks across Harris County and the Houston area. Install, meter reading, resident billing, and compliance, all handled in-house since 1968.
Harris County is the largest apartment market in Texas, and the water bill depends on the address: City of Houston inside the city, one of hundreds of Municipal Utility Districts across the unincorporated county, each with its own rate. NES bills every community at the rate its own provider charges, registers each property with the PUCT before the first bill, and keeps the service charge inside the 9 percent cap Texas allows. Electricity is deregulated here, so residents choose a retail provider while CenterPoint delivers the power, and NES bills electric submeters at the property's actual contracted rate.
Yes. Submetering is allowed in Harris 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
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 Harris 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 Harris County requirements
Water and sewer in Harris County come from the City of Houston and from many municipal utility districts (MUDs), depending on the address
Electricity in the Houston area is deregulated, so residents choose a retail provider while CenterPoint Energy delivers the power and the natural gas
We serve communities across Harris County, including Houston, Pasadena, Baytown, Spring, Katy, Cypress, Humble, Tomball, La Porte, and Deer Park
Texas rules change from time to time. NES keeps track and updates your billing when they do.
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 in the Houston 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
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
34% lower
water use per unit after submetering
Before submetering100%
After submetering66%
Water use fell 34% once residents paid for their own consumption, from 5,846 to 3,868 gallons per unit per month. Average cost per unit went from $84.72 to $54.22 a month, a 36% drop. 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. 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. 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 Harris 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 Harris County and the Houston area, including Houston, Pasadena, Baytown, Spring, Katy, Cypress, Humble, Tomball, La Porte, and Deer Park. 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 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 Harris 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.