Submetering in Pennsylvania
Last reviewed by NES Editorial · September 2026
Pennsylvania lets owners submeter water without a PUC license, with resident bills capped at the utility's own rate. Electric submetering depends on the serving utility's tariff, and most only permit it in pre-1980 buildings. See the cities NES serves and what owners recover.
Submetering pays for itself at most Pennsylvania properties. Residents are billed for what their unit uses, consumption drops, and the owner stops absorbing the master-meter bill. Owners who submeter are not public utilities in PA, and bills are capped at the utility's own rate (66 Pa.C.S. § 1313). NES has done the installs, daily reads, and resident billing in-house since 1968.
From an NES case study at a 337-unit apartment community once about half of residents were submetered. Results vary by property.
Local submetering guides in Pennsylvania
NES serves communities across Pennsylvania. These areas have a local guide to start with.
Properties NES submeters in Pennsylvania
- Apartment communities
- Condominiums
- Townhomes
- Mobile home parks
- Student housing
Submetering laws and rules in Pennsylvania
- Owners who submeter water for their own residents serve a defined group of tenants, not the public, so they are not public utilities and need no PUC certificate (66 Pa.C.S. § 102; Drexelbrook Associates v. Pa. PUC, 418 Pa. 430 (1965))
- Electric submetering and electric RUBS are generally not available in Pennsylvania. The serving utility's PUC-approved tariff controls, and most tariffs only permit submetering in buildings whose electric service was installed before 1980. NES checks your utility's tariff first
- State law caps the charge: a resident's bill cannot exceed what the utility's own residential rate would produce for the same usage, even if the owner buys at a cheaper commercial rate (66 Pa.C.S. § 1313)
- Pennsylvania sets no submeter accuracy standard by statute, but the price cap is applied per quantity used, so accurate meters and clear bills are what keep an owner compliant
- Gas master-meter properties count as pipeline operators under Act 127, with PUC registration and pipeline-safety duties, confirmed by a January 2025 PUC order
- Plus other PA PUC requirements that can apply, which NES tracks as they change
Local rules can vary by city and county, and some cities set their own requirements, which NES verifies for your exact address.
General information only, not legal advice. Confirm current rules with the PA PUC or a qualified attorney.
Submetering in Pennsylvania
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