Readable meters
Keep them
Meters we can read stay put.
Most submetering systems use standard equipment. If we can read yours, nothing gets replaced and there's no equipment cost to switch.
Switching from Houston Planned Energy Systems? Your meters can usually stay.
NES takes on Houston-area properties billed by Houston Planned Energy Systems, Inc. We survey your meters for free, and most can stay right where they are. Billing switches over without a missed cycle.
FreeMeter survey
1 dayReply time
No gapIn resident billing
1968NES since
NES (National Exemption Service) is not affiliated with Houston Planned Energy Systems, Inc. We use the name only so owners and managers looking for it can find this page.
Get a free quote for your property
Tell us about your property and we’ll respond within one business day.
or call us directly: (800) 572-7060
Can a property billed by Houston Planned Energy Systems switch to NES?
Yes. NES is taking on Houston-area apartment communities and other multifamily properties for 2027, including properties billed today by Houston Planned Energy Systems, Inc. It starts with a free survey of the meters on your property. If we can read them, they stay and only the billing company changes. If we can't, we add new transmitters or replace meters in phases while residents keep getting billed. Check your current contract for notice terms and who owns the meters before you switch.
- Free survey of your existing meters
- Reply in one business day, written plan in five
- Start date lined up with your billing cycle
- Nonproprietary meters you own, sold at cost
- In-house bilingual resident support
- Water, gas and electric, plus RUBS
Who this is for
Houston-area properties looking at a new billing company for 2027.
Apartment communities, condos and other multifamily properties in Houston, Humble, Kingwood and the rest of the area that bill residents for utilities through Houston Planned Energy Systems today. If another company can read your meters, only the billing changes. If not, we fix that first and keep billing running while we do.
Your meters
What happens to the meters you have now.
Outdated radios
Retrofit
New transmitters on the old meters.
If the meters are sound but the radios only talk to one company's system, nonproprietary transmitters go on top. No plumbing work.
Worn meters
Phased
Replaced building by building.
Worn, leaking or unreadable meters get new nonproprietary ones you own. New water meters average $150 to $300 per unit installed.
No meters
RUBS
Allocation with a PUC-approved formula.
If the property splits the bill by formula today, NES can keep billing that way under Texas rules, or quote meters if you want them.
The switch
How the switch works.
- Send your unit count and a recent master billA specialist replies within one business day.
- Free meter surveyA technician checks each meter type, how old it is, and whether we can read it.
- Written plan and priceYou get it within five business days, building by building, before you sign anything.
- Start date lined up with your billing cycleThe outgoing company's last cycle and our first one meet, so no resident is skipped or billed twice. Check your current contract for its notice period.
- Residents get a noticeIt tells them who bills them now and how to pay. From then on our in-house team answers their calls, in English and Spanish.
Texas rules
What Texas allows.
Texas regulates resident utility billing through the Public Utility Commission of Texas (16 TAC Chapter 24 for water). NES handles the PUC registration and lease disclosures for the properties we bill.
| Utility | Submetering | Allocation (RUBS) | Fees and filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water and sewer | Allowed | Allowed with a PUC-approved formula | PUC registration required. Up to 9% service charge on submetered water and sewer. Late fee up to 5%. |
| Electric | Allowed | Allowed with a PUC-approved formula | No service charge. Late fee up to 5%. |
| Gas | Allowed | Allowed | Up to $3 fee on submetered gas, disclosed in the lease |
General information, not legal advice. Rules can vary by city, county, and water utility, and they change, so NES confirms the current requirements for your exact address before billing starts.
Residents
Live at one of these properties?
NES can't see or change accounts at properties we don't bill. If you have a question about your utility bill, contact your leasing office first. They can tell you who bills your unit and how to pay.
Common questions
Switching to NES in the Houston area.
No. NES (National Exemption Service) is a separate company with no affiliation.
Yes, as long as your contract allows it. Check the notice period and who owns the meters. NES surveys the property for free and plans the start date around your billing cycle.
Not necessarily. If NES can read your existing meters, they stay. If not, we add nonproprietary transmitters or replace meters in phases.
No. Our first billing cycle starts where the outgoing company's last one ends, and residents get a notice explaining where to pay.
Yes. NES serves apartment communities across Houston and Harris County and the surrounding area, including Fort Bend County.
Only if NES bills your property. Otherwise, contact your leasing office. They can tell you who bills your unit.