For water utilities, having the ability to work with customers and clients to provide accuracy in billing and information on water use is a constant demand. Trying to manage all water services as a smaller company can be overwhelming.
Turning to utility submetering services to put in new types of meters that offer greater access to water usage information and higher levels of efficiency can address these issues. It allows smaller utilities to compete in quality of customer service residential and business customers in a way that simply wouldn’t be possible without this type of support.
The Basics of Submetering
Think of utility submetering as breaking down the usage of water by unit or by property rather than just the complete volume of water coming in through the main.
Submeters are installed after the primary or main water meter. For residential multi-family dwellings, this will be for every unit. It can also be used in trailer parks, lots or other types of development in the same way.
For commercial property, the submetering can be done by office, floor or building depending on the layout of the property. This allows accuracy and efficiency in billing based on the property renter or tenant’s actual water usage.
The Benefit to Tenants
For tenants, the impact of utility submetering is a more accurate picture of their water use and their bill. For both residential and commercial tenants, this provides real incentives to be more conservative with their water use.
When tenants simply pay on a pro-rated amount, there is no incentive to either save water or to limit use. This can lead to a wide variation in monthly billing for water and a lot of questions for the landlord or property manager to answer.
Benefits to Owners and Managers
The benefits of submetering for water give the landlord and manager access to information and details that are important. They will be able to:
* Detect water use in vacated or empty units
* Quickly determine unusually high water usage that may indicate leaks or plumbing problems
* Monitor water use and have accurate, real-time information
* Incentivize reducing water use across a building or facility to make it more environmentally friendly
With submetering the water management service will also handle billing and payment, limiting your need to spend time and energy in these tasks.
