What is Submetering?
Simply put, submetering is where you put Metron’s cellular water meters downstream of a single “master” meter which the water utility uses to measure the total water consumed by the property. You get to see the water consumption of the submeters by using WaterScope™, gaining insight into how the water is being used within the property. The water utility doesn’t see the data from your submeters – they are for your use exclusively. There are many great applications for submetering.
Manufactured Housing Communities
Without submetering, the only water consumption data you get is your water bill for the entire park. This leads to billing your residents through RUBS (which isn’t permitted in all states), a practice which is inherently unfair. You also don’t get insight into any leaks, which may be in a home, or may be in a common area.
By installing a small Spectrum meter (leased from Metron) on every residential pad, you get to see exactly how much water each residence is using, and you can bill fairly. In addition, you can get almost immediate alerts when leaks are detected. You can add more submeters for your irrigation system, if you like.
You are also encouraged to have your residents sign up for accounts on WaterScope™ so they can see their own water consumption and receive leak alerts relating to their home. Here is a flier you can use to inform your residents about Metron’s submetering benefits: ENGLISH, ESPAÑOL
Application-Specific Submetering
For businesses which use significant amounts of water, it’s useful to measure the consumption for specific applications. This can help with accounting, environmentally responsible practices, and product pricing. For cases where the water doesn’t return to sewer, this data can reduce the sewage bill. Examples of application-specific submetering are:
- A company producing water-based products, such as a brewery or soda manufacturer.
- Cooling towers on a building.
- Manufacturing processes using a lot of water.
- Horticulture.
Metron offers Spectrum meters in a range of sizes to suit any application.
Commercial Properties
Submetering allows water consumption to be accurately monitored for commercial units within a single property, such as a strip mall or office building. This allows the property manager to bill tenants correctly, as well as monitoring for leaks.
Multi-Family Housing
Apartment and condominium blocks are another great opportunity for submetering. This allows the property owner or manager to accurately see the water usage for each apartment in the complex, leading to fair billing. Metron’s ultrasonic Spectrum meters are ideal for this application because they’re silent and can be mounted in any orientation.
WaterScope’s Leak detection and alerts are especially important in apartment buildings because a leak can damage multiple apartments if not caught quickly.