Tenant Submetering
Last reviewed September 2026NES Editorial, checked by the Billing & Compliance team
Each apartment gets its own meter, so residents pay for the water, gas, or electricity they use.
What is tenant submetering and how does the bill work?
Tenant submetering means each apartment has its own meter, so residents pay for the water, gas, or electricity they actually use instead of splitting one building bill. The owner installs a submeter on each unit, NES reads the meters, and every resident gets a bill for their own usage. It is the fairer alternative to a master meter, where the whole property runs through one meter and a careful household ends up paying for a wasteful neighbor. A submetered bill is built to be clear: it shows the read dates, the opening and closing meter readings, the usage, the rate, the amount due, and a contact for questions. Residents are billed only for their unit. Common area use like hallways, pools, and irrigation stays with the owner. NES handles the reads, the billing, and resident questions through an in-house bilingual support team.
What tenants are billed for
- Water and sewer based on the gallons the unit used
- Gas based on the therms the unit used, where gas is submetered
- Electricity based on the kilowatt hours the unit used, where it is allowed
- A small, disclosed fee only where state law permits one
Is tenant submetering fair?
It is the fairest way to handle utilities in an apartment community. When everyone splits one bill, a careful household pays for a wasteful neighbor. When each unit is metered, residents pay for their own use. Communities that submeter usually see water use drop 15 to 30 percent because people notice what they use. NES also reads meters daily, so a running toilet shows up within a day instead of on a surprise bill.
Related questions
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