How Much Does Submetering Cost?
Last reviewed September 2026NES Editorial, checked by the Billing & Compliance team
Submetering takes an upfront install cost of a few hundred dollars per unit, and most properties recover it in 12 to 18 months.
How much does submetering cost?
On average, submetering costs a few hundred dollars per unit for a professional plumber to install, plus the meter equipment. The exact figure depends on the property's plumbing and layout. NES can supply the equipment for your own plumber to install, or handle the whole job. Most properties earn back the cost in 12 to 18 months through the utility cost they recover, and some recover it sooner. After that, the recovered cost goes straight to the bottom line each year. NES will run the numbers on your actual master-meter bills and send a clear, no-obligation estimate.
The three costs that make up the total
Submetering cost breaks into three parts: installation, equipment, and billing. Installation is the labor to put a meter on each unit. Equipment is the meters and repeaters themselves. Billing is the ongoing monthly fee for reading the meters and invoicing residents. Comparing quotes is much easier once you separate the three, because a low number in one column can hide a high number in another.
Installation: access drives the price
The biggest variable in installation cost is how easy it is to reach each unit's main water line. If the line is open and accessible, the install is quick. If a water heater has to be removed to reach it, that unit costs noticeably more. This is why per-unit pricing can vary across the same property. NES can install the meters with its own technicians, or supply the equipment for your existing plumbing team to install.
Equipment and the monthly billing fee
For equipment, choose meters and repeaters from an established brand with proven durability, because a cheap meter that fails early erases whatever it saved upfront. For billing, compare the monthly fee against the service level behind it: who answers resident calls, how often meters are read, and what the reporting looks like. Submetering companies differ widely on both, so compare before you choose.
What drives the cost
- The number of units and the property layout
- Whether meters go inside or outside the unit
- How accessible each unit's water line is, including whether a water heater must be moved
- The utility being metered, water, gas, or electric
- Whether NES installs or supplies equipment for your plumber
A worked example from an NES property
A 337-unit community NES submetered was paying $84.72 per unit per month for water on the master meter. After submetering, use per unit fell 36 percent and the cost came down to $54.22, about $30 a unit each month, or roughly $123,000 a year across the property. Set that against an install cost of a few hundred dollars per unit and the math lands where it usually does: the meters are paid for in 12 to 18 months, and the recovery continues every year after. Figures from NES property records; your property's numbers depend on its rates and plumbing, which is why NES runs them on your actual bills before quoting.
What a bid from NES itemizes
- Meters, transmitters, and repeaters, by brand and model, with the warranty term
- Installation labor per unit, with any units that need a water heater moved priced separately
- The monthly billing fee per unit and exactly what it covers: daily reads, resident bills, support, collections, reporting
- Any state registration or certificate work (Texas PUCT, North Carolina NCUC) included
- Projected payback from your own master-meter bills
The return on investment
Because residents conserve and the owner stops absorbing the master bill, most installs pay for themselves in 12 to 18 months, and some sooner. From there, submetering keeps recovering cost year after year.
Related questions
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