Arizona law (A.R.S. 33-1314.01) lets you bill residents for their own use plus an actual-cost admin fee, with 90 days notice before submetering an existing tenancy. NES installs the submeters, reads them daily, and bills your residents across Tempe. Get a free bid.
NES handles water, gas & electric submetering for apartment communities, condominiums, and mobile home parks across Tempe and the Phoenix area. Install, meter reading, resident billing, and compliance, all handled in-house since 1968.
Tempe has the highest renter share in the East Valley, driven by Arizona State University and the apartment towers along Tempe Town Lake and Mill Avenue. Student communities turn over every August, and NES handles the move-in and move-out reads, final bills, and collections that come with it. Tempe water, SRP or APS electric, and Southwest Gas each set the rate, and the resident pays exactly that rate under Arizona's A.R.S. 33-1314.01.
Yes. Submetering is allowed in Tempe, Arizona, with some restrictions.
The rules come from A.R.S. 33-1314.01, and NES handles them 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.
Rules & compliance
Submetering rules & laws in Tempe
Governing rule: A.R.S. 33-1314.01 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act)
Arizona state rules
Arizona law (A.R.S. 33-1314.01) lets an owner bill residents for water, sewer, gas, electricity, and trash through submetering
The owner may pass through the utility's charges plus an administrative fee for actual administrative costs only, with no additional markup
Each bill must show the charges, the opening and closing meter readings, the read dates, and any administrative fee
Owners must give at least 90 days notice before starting submetering on an existing tenancy
Using submetering does not by itself make an apartment community a regulated public water system, and NES tracks the current requirements
Mobile home parks follow Arizona's separate Mobile Home Parks Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, which requires a meter for each space and does not allow RUBS billing or administrative fees, with residents charged no more than the serving utility's single-family residential rate
Local Tempe requirements
Water is provided by the City of Tempe Municipal Utilities
Electricity is provided by Salt River Project (SRP) or APS depending on the address, and natural gas by Southwest Gas
Tempe has no local submetering rule, so A.R.S. 33-1314.01 governs: the lease discloses the billing, residents pay the utility's rate, and any fee reflects actual cost
Student housing around ASU turns over every August, and NES handles the move-in and move-out reads and final bills that come with it
We serve Tempe and nearby communities, including downtown and Mill Avenue, the ASU area, Rio Salado and Tempe Town Lake, Kiwanis Park, The Lakes, and south Tempe
If Tempe adds a requirement, NES adjusts your billing before it becomes a problem.
How NES keeps you compliant
Tracks every Arizona and local rule that affects your property
General information only, not legal advice; NES assumes no liability for reliance. Confirm current rules with the AZ Residential Landlord & Tenant Act or a qualified attorney.
Why owners across the East Valley 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
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.
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.
Real NES properties. Results vary by property, utility rates, and resident mix.
Submetering in nearby Arizona cities
NES installs and runs submetering across Arizona. 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. Arizona law (A.R.S. 33-1314.01) lets an apartment owner bill residents for water, sewer, gas, electricity, and trash through submetering or a defined allocation method. The owner can pass through the utility's charges plus an administrative fee for actual costs, with no extra markup, and each bill must show the meter readings and dates. Owners give at least 90 days notice before starting on existing tenancies. NES tracks every requirement so your property stays compliant.
Arizona law (A.R.S. 33-1314.01) lets an owner bill residents for water, sewer, gas, electricity, and trash through submetering. Utility service itself in Tempe falls under the AZ Residential Landlord & Tenant Act. NES tracks the current Arizona and local requirements for your address, so billing is set up to match the rule.
Water is provided by the City of Tempe Municipal Utilities. 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 Phoenix 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 Tempe 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.