CWE is proud to announce a new program – SUBMETERS WITH NO OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSE.
It’s high time that multihousing owners get some relief from the burden of ever-increasing water and sewer costs as well as high electricity and gas bills. Get out from under the burden of high water consumption. Motivate your residents to conserve.
Fill out the blue form to the right ➡ . In the blank labeled “Other Description,” write in “no cash.”
Maximizing Submeter Collections
Josie yelled at me, “$3.25 a month per unit? Are you crazy?”
Wanting to set her mind at ease, I looked her straight in the face and said “No, I don’t think so.” Probably because my retort was no different than what a crazy person would have said, Josie looked even more convinced that I am one crazy dude.
But I should probably start from the top. Josie manages 3 small apartment complexes that are submetered for water – cumulatively 206 units. She was telling me how displeased she was with the company that was providing Read/Bill/Collect service. Being the salesman that I am, I offered to give her a proposal to take over the RBC service.
When she saw my price, that’s when she yelled at me, “$3.25 a month per unit? Are you crazy?” After my less than clever defense, “No, I don’t think so,” she said “The billing company we use charges only $2.50 per unit. I thought that was expensive. But you want even more. You’re crazy!”
Some guys have a positive effect on women without even trying. Not me. I explained:
“The RBC company that you are doing business with is cheap. $2.50 per unit per month is a great price. But they aren’t performing. Billing is not going out promptly and your residents cannot reach the RBC company’s customer service. Bottom line is that due to poor service, you’re recovering only 62% of water and sewer costs.”
Josie was listening. Maybe I’m not so crazy.
“Your average unit is being billed about $55 per unit per month. If you were recovering 80% instead of 62% of your communities’ water and sewer costs, you would be collecting $9.90 more per unit per month. We charge $.75 more per unit because we invest the necessary money to maximize collections.”
I had her ear. Like I said, I don’t exude an aura that causes women to agree with me. I use reason. It works.
“We spend extra money to properly staff our bilingual customer service department with professionally trained professionals. We also spend time and money on the hawkeye system – this means that we photo-capture the date/time stamps of all outgoing bills. That way, when certain habitual late payers claim that they never got the bill, we can prove that it entered the mail stream.”
Result: My wife still says I’m crazy…but Josie is now a happy client. Want to find out more about submetering or RUBS?
Note: below is the original version of an article we submitted to Common Ground magazine and that appeared in the March/April edition.
What is green and erases red ink for multihousing, apartments, condominium associations and shopping centers? Submeters, Ratio Utility Billing and hybrids of submetering/RUBS save money and encourage conservation.
Let’s admit it. At one time or another we have all been guilty of waste. Have you ever entered a hotel room and turned down the thermostat just prior to going downstairs to the hotel bar? Perhaps you piled your plate with a little more food than you could eat at a buffet. Is there anyone who is not guilty of wasting water in one way or another…perhaps by running the water while you brush your teeth or not attending to a water leak as quickly as you should?
Yes, almost everybody is guilty of wasting water. To a certain degree, it’s not our fault. It is human nature to take something for granted when we’re not paying for it. If we were all reminded daily that only 3% of the world’s water is drinkable, that there is a very complicated process to delivering that clean water to your home, and how important water is to our communities, maybe we would be more mindful and not waste such a precious commodity.
If we knew the history of water and how the great aqueduct systems of the Roman Empire helped make it so mighty for centuries, perhaps we would have greater appreciation of this invaluable resource. Very few people consider “the history of water.” Maybe more are mindful of the importance of conservation.
The brutal truth is that for most of us humans, saving money is an even greater motivator than conservation. If we were all billed for the water we use, we would use it more wisely. Individual responsibility is key to bringing many people together in a community for the common good.
The good news is that you can bring responsibility to water consumers by using inexpensive sub-metering technology. A 438 page report titled National Multiple Family Sub-metering And Allocation Billing Program Study sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Apartment Association and National Multi Housing Council determined that sub-metering reduces water costs 15% to 40%.*
The reason is simple. With a water bill in our hands every month, we are more mindful of our water consumption. We fix leaky toilets and faucets, we don’t turn on the spigot 20 minutes before stepping into the shower stall and we brush our teeth without running water and money down the drain.
If your association does not currently have submeters, are the hardware and installation costs a good investment? Studies have shown that because sub-metering is so inexpensive, the community association’s investment typically pays for itself in 12 to 18 months depending on how the buildings are plumbed and the utility’s water charges. How do the numbers work?
Total hardware & installation costs average about $250 (hardware from $110 to $150 and installations from $50 to $200 depending on building’s plumbing configuration.) A savings of 25% of an average unit’s monthly $60 water bill is $15 per month or $180 per year.
How does submetering affect association budgeting?The community association still pays the utility. But instead of hoping that this month’s association water bill doesn’t cause a problem by running over budget, the association is charging the residents for what they used. What is billed to the association offsets what is billed by the association.
How are residents affected?Residents are empowered to reap savings when they repair leaks and install conservation-friendly showerheads, toilets and faucets.
We’re all familiar with what happens when an association without submeters decides to locate leaks throughout a building. Maintenance asks residents to not use water and then takes a look at the master meter. If the dials are moving, there are leaks. Maintenance then needs to enter each unit, looking for leaks. Residents are disrupted but leaks are found. A couple months later, there are new water leaks and the process needs to be repeated.
When condo units are submetered, any resident that suspects a leak can pinpoint the problem. The occupant makes sure all faucets and appliances are off and then takes a gander at the meter. If the dial is moving, there’s a leak. If that’s the case, the first thing to do is check the toilet tanks. We have hard water in Florida – meaning the water is high in mineral content. It is recommended that Floridians change seals inside tanks every 6 to 12 months.
Submetering reduces instances of water damage.Because leaks are being repaired, there are less cases of water leaking into other units and common areas.
Submetering is fair. It’s wrong when we have to pay for other people’s abuse of a resource we all pay for equally. Sub-metering is “green.” Holding residents accountable for water consumption in drought-prone Florida is good citizenship. Sub-metering is a way to do something constructive about lower water levels in the Everglades.
What does a submeter look like?
A small section of pipe with a 2 to 3 inch meter is installed where the water pipe or pipes enter the unit – typically adjacent to the hot water heater or in a unit’s laundry room or on an exterior utility area. If electronics are used, a tiny battery-operated transmitter is connected to the submeter, small repeaters are installed at strategic spots and a central data collector is placed in the clubhouse or central office. Submetering is unobtrusive and requires very little space.
Who pays whom?
A third party billing company typically monitors all of the units’ consumption and bills them based on the rates that the utility is charging the community association. The third party billing company collects the money and sweeps the funds to the association minus an administrative fee. The third party billing company sends a monthly “Reimbursement Statement” to the association. This is a detailed itemization of moneys collected and remitted as well as what should be an easy-to-understand explanation of rates charged by the utility.
Our condo association already uses submeters and we’re saving money. What can we do to put even more money in the association’s pocket?
Congratulations to condo associations that use submeters. You are halfway there!
I’m kidding. Actually, you may be 70% or 80% there or you may be one of the lucky associations that is getting all the benefits it is due. Check your contract with the third-party billing company.
Do the administrative fees charged by the third-party billing company to the community association comport with the contract? You may be due a substantial refund. Are the submeters and electronics properly functioning so that all money due from residents is being collected? Are resident bills correctly itemized? How would residents grade the third-party billing’s customer service?
Steve Hirsch is marketing manager at Commercial Water & Energy, a national third-party billing & submetering company that has been in business for 18 years. He enjoys customizing optimal solutions for specific properties and is always available to answer questions about submetering, RUBS and various hybrid solutions. Ask and we’ll customize a submetering or RUBS solution for you.
Repair Money Leaking Apartments with Submeters
Charlie McHill had just bought a new apartment community and we were discussing submetering. The expression on his face seemed odd. A previous blog post explains why submetering made sense for his property – want us to evaluate your multifamily for submeters or RUBS?
Below is how he played me – pure evil…
Charlie McHill: My issue is one of priorities. I just bought the property and there is so much to do. We’re still putting together a long list of repairs and improvements that can’t wait. And we need to train onsite staff about new policies in order to get things running the way we want. I wonder – how soon should I around to submeters?
Me: In a perfect world, businesspeople would prioritize conservation and other green technologies like submeters at the top of their to-do lists. But let’s face it – multifamily operators are always putting out fires. Fixing leaky roofs, evicting bad tenants and repairing HVAC systems can’t wait.
Charlie McHill: So you agree. I should wait a few months before deciding on a course of action with respect to submeters?
Me: With all due respect, you are seeing your water and sewer costs in the wrong light. Although full implementation of submeters and utility billing will save you $18,000 per month, that’s the wrong way to look at it. It’s more urgent than just savings.
Charlie McHill: I like saving $18,000 per month. In what way is it more urgent than that?
Me: You need to repair leaky roofs and bad HVACs immediately because if you don’t, tenants will move out and that will cost you money. You need to evict bad tenants because you need to rent their units to good paying residents. In other words, if you don’t put out those fires, you will immediately feel it in your wallet. Losing tenants is not some abstract concept – the loss of a tenant means immediate loss of rent.
Charlie McHill: So you agree, making repairs is more urgent than submeters?
Me: I agree that making repairs is urgent. But submetering is an urgently needed repair, not a means to save.
Charlie: I’ve got to hear this. (The strange smile on his face had disappeared as he leaned forward to hear what I was saying.)
Me: When JC Penny has a 40% Off Sale on casual shirts, that is an opportunity to save. But since I can continue to wear the shirts that I already own, I don’t lose money if I wait until the next sale. Your situation is different. You can’t stop buying water and sewer until the point at which you are prepared to submeter. You will be losing the $18,000 that I can save you each and every month until you have fully implemented submetering.
Charlie: So you’re saying that my water and sewer system is broken?
Me: Exactly. Your system is broken. You’re leaking $18,000 per month. You need to fix it now.
Charlie: I have to admit something to you (Charlie’s funny smirk broke open into open laughter.) I’ve been playing with you. I already know everything that there is to know about submeters. I probably know more than you about the mechanics.
Me: Really, how so? (I was thinking that this Charlie guy was pretty arrogant.)
Charlie: I was one of the first people in the US to start a submetering company back in the 1990’s. But within a few years, it occurred to me that I could make more money buying submeters than selling them. That’s when I sold the submetering company and focused on the big bucks – buying submeters.
Me: Wait a second. Are you telling me that the better way to make money was to…?
Charlie McHill: That’s right. Selling submeters and billing services was tiring. I’d lay out the merits of submetering:
Managers and owners would agree. But that’s when things would get frustrating. Multifamily operators were always putting out fires – fixing roofs, HVA CS, potholes in the parking lots, evictions, curing code violations, leasing new units, hiring and firing staff. Those things were priorities – submetering was something they wanted to do but they would leave it on the backburner. They didn’t recognize the money that they were losing on water and sewer as a priority.
Me: So you decided to buy properties and submeter them. Wow.
Check our blog in a few days for the conclusion…or request a submeter or RUBS proposal.