Why Use a Water Submetering Company?

Water submetering  is extremely complex. From system design and submeter installation through meter reading, billing and collections, it’s not something property owners, managers or landlords should take on themselves. At Synergy, we offer decades of experience creating and maintaining submetering systems that increase NOI and offer residents greater control over their utility bills.

With Synergy, landlords can focus on their day-to-day operations without worrying about the intricacies of water billing. Our service team handles meter reading (either in person or via a network connection), individual billing, meter data reporting and analytics. We offer flexible billing and payment options, a responsive helpdesk for landlord and resident questions, fast remittance and more.

How Water Submetering Helps Residents

Water submetering reduces utility costs for residents by allowing them to take control of their own consumption and costs. Without submetering in place, residents are often charged an unfair percentage of their building’s total water consumption. Individually calculated utility bills divide the water bill far more equitably, increasing utility cost recovery, keeping residents happier and improving tenant renewal rates. Additionally, top-tier submetering and utility billing companies offer premium features like online account access, credit card payments and paperless billing, giving residents an enhanced level of service.

Submetering has also been shown to reduce overall utility consumption by as much as 35%. This results in cost savings for both residents and landlords as well as a positive effect on the environment.

How Does Water Submeter Installation Work?

Installing water submeters can be a huge undertaking. First, you have to make sure the unit you want to submeter has its own dedicated water line. Next, you need to find the right meters to fit with either the existing plumbing or the plumbing system plan in place for new construction.

When dealing with new construction, water submetering is less of a challenge because you can design the system around the proposed plumbing infrastructure. While possible, it’s a much greater challenge to retrofit existing multifamily properties for water submeters.

Once you determine the type of meter the property needs, you then need a licensed technician to install a submeter at each tenant’s water line and ensure that each submeter is getting a proper read and recording accurate usage data. Working with a utility billing service partner can help you through these nuances.

Water Submetering vs. Ratio Utility Billing

A utility billing company like Synergy can determine individual water bills in two ways: true submetering and ratio utility billing, or RUBS.

With submetering, individual meters are used to read each unit’s exact water usage. This is the most common choice for new multifamily construction, but it is also possible to retrofit existing buildings with water submeters.

RUBS billing does not require the use of individual submeters. RUBS divides overall costs by using a set formula, taking into account factors such as unit size, layout, number of occupants, number of bathrooms, common area deductions and more.

Is submetering or RUBS right for your building? Contact our experts to find out.