# Submetering: Good Management Practice

Source: https://submeter.com/submetering-good-management-practice/
Publisher: National Exemption Service (NES), https://submeter.com. Last reviewed September 2026.

Run submetering well and you get steadier budgets, fairer bills, and happier residents, but the partner you pick matters.

## Why is submetering considered good management practice?
Submetering is good management practice because it ties utility cost to the people who create it. Your budget stops swinging with resident habits, and careful residents stop subsidizing wasteful ones. Consumption drops once people see their own bills. The catch is that the benefit depends on how the program is run. Reads have to be accurate, bills have to be clear, and billing has to follow rules that vary by city, county, and state. That makes the choice of partner the real decision. Vet a company on its history, upfront pricing, ownership, reviews, warranties, support, and software integrations. NES has been privately owned since 1968, bills thousands of units every month, and keeps an in-house compliance team on the rules. Start with a free assessment.

## What good management actually requires
Metering is only half the job. The other half is reading accurately, billing clearly, answering residents quickly, and staying compliant as rules change. A weak provider can turn a sound idea into resident complaints, so vetting the company is the part that protects you.

## Factors to weigh when choosing a partner
- Company history and whether it is privately or publicly held
- Pricing stated upfront for install, billing, replacement, and software, with no hidden fees
- Google reviews, referrals, and an in-house support center
- Equipment warranties, vacant recovery, and software integrations with your rent roll and accounting

## Questions
**Does it matter if a submetering company is public or private?**
It can. Publicly held billing companies are often more limited in how they operate. NES has stayed privately owned and managed for decades.

**Why does compliance come up so often?**
Submetering rules vary by city, county, and state and change frequently. NES tracks them daily for the communities it serves.