What Is Submetering for Water?
Last reviewed September 2026NES Editorial, checked by the Billing & Compliance team
A plain answer to how water submetering measures and bills each apartment's actual use.
What is water submetering and how does it work?
Water submetering means putting a meter on each unit so you can measure and bill the exact water that resident used. The submeter sits between the property's main water line and the individual apartment. Each month the reading tells you how much that unit used, and the resident is billed for that amount. It is the most accurate way to pass real water cost to the people who create it. NES installs the meters, takes wireless daily reads, and bills residents every month, with an in-house bilingual team for support. When residents pay for their own water, use typically falls 15 to 30 percent and most owners recover the cost in 12 to 18 months.
Why owners start with water
Water and sewer are often the largest controllable line on a multifamily budget, and they keep climbing. Under a master meter you pay for every drop, including leaks and heavy users. Water submetering ties each unit's bill to its own reading, which both recovers cost and pushes consumption down. The drop in use is real, usually 15 to 30 percent.
What NES handles for you
- Install of nonproprietary meters you own, backed by a warranty.
- Wireless daily reads and monthly billing to each resident.
- Daily leak detection through MyReads, so a running toilet gets flagged fast instead of showing up on next month's bill.
Related questions
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