Using Utility Submetering to Identify Water Problems

Decades ago, owners of manufactured home communities and large buildings were stuck monitoring the water use of an entire property with a single meter. These days, with submetering, a manufactured housing community tenants can be monitored independently. This leads to a great opportunity to identify problems with water delivery, conservation and usage, ultimately saving money.

 

Water Delivery Problems

When you have a leaky faucet or cracked water pipe in your home, it’s probably not too hard to find. All you need to do is look at your faucets and check your ceiling and walls for water spots to see problem areas. Leaks in the walls of the home or under the home are not so easy.

Tenants may or may not tell you if they see a leaking faucet or notice a leak. They may not even see it. With submetering, you have an independent meter on each unit, so when water usage spikes, you not only know that there is a problem, but you have a good idea where it is, as well.

 

Water Conservation and Efficiency

Having a meter installed under each home allows you to know exactly how much water each home is using so that you know which areas to target for conservation efforts. It also allows you to put a more accurate cost on each of your tenants.

 

Water Usage and Waste

In manufactured home communities, a traditional model is to split the water bill evenly among them. This is also known as a RUBS system. This is not necessarily a fair practice, and in the end it can cause you to lose good tenants or encourage other tenants to use extra water, knowing that the impact on them will be minimal. With water utility submetering, each individual unit is monitored, allowing you to make each tenant responsible for their own water usage.

At ABT Water Management, you can always Contact Us, with questions or concerns you may have regarding utility submetering.