Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed a bill into law that requires the owner of any multi-unit residential property developed after January 1, 2018 to install individual water meters or submeters that measure the quantity of water supplied to each residential unit.
Many California residents who live in apartments or condominiums do not now pay for their water usage on an individual basis. Their water, on the other hand, may be charged as an aggregated flat-rate set by their landlord or building owner and included in their rent or another payment arrangement. There is no immediate incentive for these individuals to change their consumption habits because there is no tracking of individual water usage and thus limited accountability.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill into law late last month in an effort to promote water conservation and connect water suppliers with all of California’s users. Water suppliers and customers, as well as multi-unit housing developers and landlords across the state, will almost certainly be affected by the decision.
Individual water meters or submeters must be placed in all multi-unit residential and/or mixed-use complexes built after January 1, 2018, according to SB 7. It also instructs water providers to require such installations as a condition of new water supply in order to track individual water usage.
Water is metered in the majority of the state’s flats and multi-unit projects.
The landlord of the complex, not the tenant, is the water user under the current arrangement. Water purveyors will benefit from this setup since it makes service easier. Rather than providing individual service to each unit, the supplier has a single customer who is assumed reimbursed for all associated costs through rental fees.
With California in its fifth year of severe drought and individuals and businesses adhering to voluntary water-use limitations and statutory water allotments, a huge proportion of residents aren’t receiving information on their volumetric water usage that may encourage conservation.
After the governor issued instructions to lower statewide use by 25%, water usage among L.A. rental units maintained the same or grew, according to a 2015 survey by the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles. While the poll was acknowledged as non-scientific, officials were concerned that a lack of proportionality between water rates and usage for apartment renters resulted in little conservation.
According to a 2004 study sponsored by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Apartment Association, and cities and water districts in the western United States, individual water meters, or submeters, have been shown to significantly reduce water usage by approximately 15% or 21.8 gallons per day per unit.
The state already has a law requiring the installation of meters on all properties, but individual units in multi-family developments were exempt. Assembly Bill 2572, which was passed in 2004, mandates that water companies install water meters on all customer connections by January 2025. SB 7 adds to this norm in a number of ways.
Is it allowed to submeter in California?
Water meters and submeters must be placed in apartments and other rental housing complexes constructed after January 1, 2018, according to the new California SB 7 law. Water bills must be based on actual usage rather than estimation or other methodologies, according to the law, and owners of such properties must offer accurate information about the volume and cost of their inhabitants’ water use. The law’s goal is to encourage proper water use and conservation in a state that has been ravaged by drought for several years.
The benefits of submetering, however, extend far beyond water conservation in California. These advanced technology can be used by rental housing complexes in any state to drastically cut utility expenses while improving the resident experience.
What is Submetering?
The utility installed one “master” meter to track water consumption for the entire building with typical water metering. Water expenditures were simply included in the rent when residents were billed. Alternatively, in a technique known as RUBS, costs were assigned to tenants based on square footage, units, bedrooms, and other factors (Ratio Utility Billing System).
Monitoring utility consumption after the main utility meter enters a building is known as submetering. Submeters, in other words, are installed after the main utility meter on individual apartments and/or loads.
The most advanced wireless submetering systems can access individual residents’ water usage remotely and display the data on a web-based portal. The device can also monitor toilets, showers, and other areas where water leaks are difficult to detect using granular data.
Benefits of Submetering
Aside from the environmental benefits of submetering, this data-driven technology also provides financial benefits to both building managers and tenants.
Submetering, for example, encourages “excellent” conservation practices. Building owners and managers can bill tenants accurately and equitably based on their actual consumption thanks to wireless monitoring of each resident’s water usage. This means that managers can hold residents accountable for their own water bills. Meanwhile, residents may go to a dedicated website to monitor how much water they use or waste on a monthly basis. This knowledge allows them to better manage their water consumption, potentially lowering their water bills.
Wireless submetering systems that are cutting-edge may also mine data-rich information in real time to detect water leaks. Because water leaks account for a considerable amount of a building’s water use, leak detection is vital in rental housing complexes. Property managers can use this feature to send daily email reports to maintenance workers, who can then fix the leaks. In the event of a more significant situation, the system uses instantaneous alarms to notify the employees quickly.
In rental dwellings and commercial properties, utilities are the single most controllable expenditure. Submetering can significantly reduce utility expenditures. Although California’s SB 7 law requires submetering to alleviate the state’s drought, submetering has numerous benefits for apartment complexes in any state. A submetering installation at an apartment complex in Maryland, for example, helped the owners cut their water consumption in half.
H2O Degree, a prominent manufacturer of wireless submetering devices used for resident billing and leak monitoring, is led by Don Millstein. Millstein was President of electric submeter manufacturer E-Mon for 23 years before joining H2O Degree. E-Mon was acquired by Fortune 100 business Honeywell, where he continued to oversee Honeywell’s Electrical Channel.
The UMCA is currently chaired by Millstein. The US Green Building Council, The Alliance to Save Energy’s (ASE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Task Force, and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Committee on Energy Efficiency, Commerce, and Trade are among the other industry organizations with which he is affiliated. He was also a delegate from the United States to the hemispheric energy summit.
In California, does the landlord have to pay for water?
While California law imposes duties for gas and electricity 1, water and sewerage are not included by the law, therefore there is no legal responsibility for the landlord or renter to pay the water bill.
However, if the bill is not paid, the water will eventually be turned off. As a result, it’s critical to agree on who will pay the bill before signing a lease or moving into the house.
One of the reasons there is no legal position on the provision of water as a utility in California is that water companies are not one large conglomerate (unlike electricity and gas, which are provided by a single company) but rather smaller entities, each of which is typically managed by city or municipal authorities.
How do flats keep track of their water usage?
By offering property owners, facility managers, and tenants with both visibility and control capabilities, two-way wireless submetering systems are already producing proven outcomes in multi-family housing.
To enable daily water meter and leak detection reporting, a comprehensive approach combines wireless technology with “smart” water meters and thermostats. The data provided by such a system can be used to motivate both renters and management to modify their behavior.
Tenants are encouraged to conserve water since they are held responsible for their own usage, and property managers can take proactive water-saving maintenance steps because they receive daily leak detection data.
Submetering saves the most water by monitoring and reporting data from individual toilets, showers, sinks, and other fixtures throughout a multi-family structure. Water submeters that are low-cost, compact, and battery-powered are available to monitor use for a complete apartment or at these specific ‘points of use.’
What does it mean to be sub metered?
Submetering is defined as the retail selling of electric current or gas acquired at wholesale rates for the entire building by the owners to tenants through individual meters in large office or residential buildings.
Is it possible for me to read my own water meter?
The majority of water meters are installed near your outdoor stop tap. In your driveway, lawn, or neighboring footpath, it will be hidden behind a modest metal or plastic cover. These may be a little more down the road.
If your meter is located inside, it is normally located under the kitchen sink, near the inside stop tap. Meters can also be found in basements and garages. You’ll need to double-check that you have the correct meter by comparing the serial number on your bill to the one on the meter.
What method is used to read water meters from afar?
A remote water meter reader is a gadget that can read and send water meter readings wirelessly. Pulses are generated by meters, and the remote water meter counts them.
How often do water meters need to be read?
If you have a water meter, it should be read at least once a year and once every two years by your water provider. Your meter may be read more regularly by some water companies. The water meter is frequently installed so that your business may read it remotely.
Other water bills are usually calculated based on an estimate. You might be able to update the estimated reading if you read the meter yourself. Your water company will be able to show you how to read your meter.
When you rent an apartment, what bills do you have to pay?
Utility bills, often known as utility expenses, are a broad phrase that refers to the various services and goods that make up a property’s operating costs, allowing you to live comfortably. Gas, electricity, water, home landline, broadband, and council tax are common examples. Security systems, trash collection, and sewer waste are all examples of utility costs in some locations. The majority of these service expenses will be borne by and paid by every household in the United Kingdom.
What are the rights of renters in California when it comes to utility billing?
Utility expenses are an unavoidable part of life. However, as electricity rates rise, an increasing number of people are unable to pay their payments on time. When a renter fails to pay their utility bills, they risk losing service and incurring penalty fees. Tenants who cannot pay their utility bills may be evicted from their houses in the worst-case situation, and this may be true even if their rent is paid and current, depending on the terms of the lease.
While a renter must pay utilities to avoid service interruption, they also have certain rights as a tenant and as a utility customer under California law, which include:
Tenants have a right to know how much they are paying for utility services and whose business is supplying them.
If their landlord fails to pay the utility bill, tenants have the right to guarantee that their utility service is maintained.
A medical benefits program is available to tenants with chronic illnesses. Tenants with life support equipment in their homes, for example, may be eligible for a medical benefits program to assist defray the costs of running the unit.
