David Schwartz
For landlords or managers of multi-tenant properties, the idea of submetering water usage can feel like a headache, especially in older buildings. Between extensive construction requirements and legislature in some areas that prevents landlords from charging tenants for water, the cost of installing submeters on your property can be hard to justify. However, for many landlords, it's clear that something must be done to reduce the cost of water.
Water bills in NYC and many other major metro areas are projected to rise over the next several years. In fact, in July 2019, the cost of water in NYC was raised from $10.10 per 100 cf to $10.33. Not a huge hike, but consider that 10 years prior, it was $5.98 per 100 cf. The cost nearly doubled in 10 years! For landlords who are hoping to save money on water bills in NYC and other areas, water submetering and conservation technology may be two common considerations.
Nationwide, electricity submetering in multi-tenant buildings has become increasingly common, and it has helped create more transparent utility costs. Water submetering, however, is rarer. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t play an important role in the utility management of your property.
In this blog, you'll learn some of the pros and cons associated with water submetering systems and more cost-effective technologies.
- Water Submetering Systems
- Cost-Effective Alternatives
- Water Submetering vs the Alternatives: Which is best?
Water Submetering Systems
Water submetering systems involve the installation of unique submeters for every unit on your property. The result is total transparency. Landlords are able to understand how much water each apartment or unit is using on a monthly, or even weekly, basis. However, submetering water is rarely a silver bullet, especially for many landlords in New York. Depending on the age and infrastructure of your property, submeters may be downright prohibitive or just too complicated to do due to the plumbing infrastructure.
Pros of Water Submetering Systems:
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Nationwide, evidence indicates 15%–30% savings on average with submetering on a given property. However, this data reflects utility billing in areas where landlords are permitted to bill tenants directly for water usage (not NYC).
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Could encourage eco-conscious residents to behave in "greener" ways.
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Provides details to both tenants and landlords about water usage on a per-unit basis, resulting in transparent utility costs. Identify leaks and other inefficiencies within single units.
Cost-Effective Alternatives
01. Shower Flow Controller
Many landlords and building managers are shocked to learn just how cost-effective alternatives like The Water Scrooge™ can be. Even in markets where landlords are permitted to charge tenants for water, installing effective tamper-proof conservation technology can result in a greater impact on the bottom line than submetering water.
Ultimately, the only thing landlords can control directly is the measured flow-rates of tenant showers, toilets (prevent leaky toilets), and sinks. You can't control tenant behavior or a unit's motivation to conserve water just because it's good for the environment. While submeters may have no impact on tenant behavior, reducing the measured flow-rates of showers and other water fixtures can virtually guarantee a reduction in water bills. Click here to learn more about how many gallons of water showers use and why you should care.
The Pros
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Average reduction of 25% - 35% in water utilization if landlords opt for tamper-proof solutions.
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The Water Scrooge™ products alone reduce the costs of water and hot water by an average of $500 per unit, per year. Multiply that by the number of units on your property, and your savings will rise significantly.
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A quick time-to-positive ROI - 6 months on average.
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Reduced energy bills and utility costs from the saving of hot water, which accounts for 35% of water usage.
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Shower water flow control can result in a noticeable reduction of water use while still providing a comfortable experience.
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Time investment for installation takes only 10–15 minutes per unit, including leak inspection.
The Cons
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Some alternatives, such as low-flow fixtures and faucet aerators, could have a negative impact on tenant experience (see here for myths of low flow showerheads).
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Tenants may attempt to tamper with low-flow showerheads, sink aerators, and other low-cost technologies.
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Tamper-proof solutions are necessary to realize long-term savings.
02. Water Flow Management Device
Metering inaccuracies, probably by far, have the most potential for lost water in measuring and recording flow. It’s a simple fact that along with the volume of water that passes through your water meter is also the volume of air. Over 99% of water meters measure by volume, meaning that you are getting charged for any volume of air present in your water supply!
If landlords can control running toilets and flow-rates of showers, why couldn't you correct the volume of air you're being charged for each month?
Eliminating water meter inaccuracy is now possible using a variable flow control process. By compressing air before it reaches the water meter, the SMART VALVE™ water flow management device eliminates water meter inaccuracy and excessive water consumption.
The Pros
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Flow regulators can control the flow of water, but the SMART VALVE™ eliminates water meter inaccuracy.
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Average reduction of 15% - 20% in water bills by improving water meter accuracy.
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You pay less for the same water usage!
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Prevents pressure drops from water usage from reaching the water meter.
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It is cost-effective and easy to service.
The Cons
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Mechanical parts eventually all wear and tear. Keep your parts sharp with maintenance to reinstate their original performance.
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Although easily installed, installation should be performed by a licensed plumber.
See here for 10 Questions You Have About Smart Valve™ - Answered.
Water Submetering vs the Alternatives:
Which is best?
The choice between water submetering systems and cost-effective alternatives depends on a landlord's goals, budget, and the building infrastructure. Assuming your building is already correctly wired and has the plumbing to support submetering, the cost of installation can still be 200%–400% higher than cost-effective alternatives. However, having a building pre-prepped for submetering is rarely the case, particularly in older multi-resident buildings.
It's important to note that submetering may not provide tenants with any motivation to reduce their water usage or check their water meters, especially in markets like New York where tenants cannot be charged for water. Unless your tenants are personally motivated to reduce their environmental footprint, having access to their water usage data will not change their behavior, usage, or wastage. Even extremely hands-on property managers won’t be able to do much when it comes to the water usage of tenants.
In contrast, cost-effective alternatives that offer a measurable impact on water flow rates, translate into savings. Landlords are not required to pass these savings onto their tenants. The savings can go into your pocket or be reinvested back into your property.
If you use tamper-proof technologies, your tenant's ability to disable sink aerators, shower flow regulators, and other tools will be limited. If your goals are to realize an immediate gain in water conservation and utility bill savings, tamper-proof water conservation technology could be the most direct means to that end.
Saving Money = Making Money
In NYC and other metro locations nationwide, water service isn't getting any cheaper and utility management isn’t getting any easier. For landlords who are already seeing the numbers on their water meters rise, taking steps to lower your monthly costs could be crucial as prices continue to increase. By investing wisely and avoiding tactics with no measurable return-on-investment, you can protect their profit margins in the months to come.
You can now brilliantly balance your savings... You pay less for the same water usage!
The SMART VALVE™ compresses air, eliminating its volume before it reaches the water meter—the meter no longer measures it!
About The Water Scrooge™
The Water Scrooge™ offers water conservation ways and products to multi-family landlords and homeowners, including: shower flow controllers, Leak Detection Systems, Toilet Leak Prevention Devices (The Toilet Scrooge™), water flow management devices (SMART Valve™), toilet calibration and DIY products.
Also featuring The Water Scrooge™ App. Our app empowers your team to carry out the installation of our kits. With it, you can also record and track data points about the units (other than water usage).