Apartment Water Submetering for Managers & Residents

Water management is a persistent problem for apartment communities. Many apartments monitor water consumption according to a single master meter, which the utility uses to bill property owners for the building’s total water consumption. How to allocate billing fairly when the building shares a single master meter is a major challenge for property owners, and in many cases it leaves property owners facing mounting utility costs where recovery is inefficient or impossible. 

 

Traditional billing methods, like RUBS, allocate costs based on a formula, but this does not account for actual consumption. RUBS allocations often lead to tenant billing disputes, poor utility cost recovery, and operating budgets squeezed by having to absorb water costs. Consumption-based billing requires better visibility into water consumption that master metering simply can’t provide.

 

Apartment submetering is an efficient, practical tool for addressing challenges in visibility, utility cost allocation, and utility cost recovery. Submetering tracks individual unit-level water consumption, allowing owners to pass utility costs on to tenants who generate them through accurate, consumption-based billing. Traditional submetering systems are effective, but modern smart submetering systems go beyond simple meters, offering benefits such as automated meter readings, digital monitoring platforms, remote data collection, instant alerts, and data analytics, as well as easy integration with billing and management systems.

 

In this article, we’ll cover what apartment water submetering is, how it works, the different types of submeters, differences between master meters and submeters, how installation works, and how much it costs, as well as the benefits for property owners and residents.

What is Apartment Water Submetering?

Water submetering refers to measuring each apartment’s water use individually rather than relying on one master meter for the whole building. In most traditional setups, a single master meter tracks total consumption, and the building recovers costs by allocating that total across residents – often through a RUBS formula or by including water in the rent. In these cases, the owner pays the full water bill and absorbs the impact of overuse, leaks, or rising utility costs because the charges are not tied to actual apartment unit consumption.

Submetering is fundamentally different. The simplest way to think of apartment water submetering is that there are water submeters in each apartment. The apartment building still has a master meter for the building that tracks the building’s overall use, but each unit in the building has its own individual water meter to track the apartment’s consumption. This allows each unit to be billed for its own specific consumption, passing water costs from the landlord to the tenants who generate them.

Modern submetering technologies make it possible to measure each unit’s actual water consumption, removing the need for RUBS allocation in buildings that adopt individual metering. With IoT connectivity such as LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, today’s smart submeters support automated remote reads, advanced leak detection, and real-time alerts – features that help owners reduce risk and improve billing accuracy.

Components of Apartment Water Submetering

Apartment water submetering systems are built from multiple core components that each perform a different role. 

 

A simple mechanical submetering system without radio or communications could consist solely of mechanical water submeters; AMR and AMI deployments are often significantly more complex, adding in communication infrastructure and additional components. 

 

Generally, smart submetering systems require individual apartment water submeters, communications infrastructure, data management software, and resident portals or mobile apps, depending on the specific kind of deployment. 

 

The following list shows the major components required for apartment water submetering across all three submetering types, although not every type will require every component:

• Building master meter: This is the utility-owned water meter that tracks water entering the building or property. It measures the building’s total water consumption.

• Submeters: Submeters measure the apartment’s water consumption. In traditional setups, meters require manual readings, but modern smart setups allow remote readings with the associated communications infrastructure and submetering software. In a traditional mechanical submetering setup without AMR or AMI functionality, submeters are all that is required.

• Communications systems: Smart submetering systems, whether AMR or AMI, require effective communications. There are many different types of communications technology utilized across the industry, including wired approaches, radio, cellular, and open standards such as LoRaWAN.

• Gateways & receivers: In many smart submetering systems, gateways collect data transmitted by nearby wireless submeters and forward it to cloud platforms or central management systems. For example, AMI systems often require LoRaWAN gateways. In AMR systems, handheld or vehicle-mounted receivers are required rather than permanent gateways, but their purpose is similar as they collect data from submeters.

• Cloud platforms & management software: Cloud platforms store readings and other data, while management software provides detailed reporting and analytics for billing, consumption management, and historical usage comparisons, leak detection and alerting, and other advanced functionality. Property managers typically use management software to administer the system and manage property-wide water consumption.

• Resident portals & mobile apps: Many smart submetering systems offer residents tools to help tenants track their own consumption, such as mobile apps and resident portals. These tools enable tenants to adjust their consumption based on their billing preferences and support better tenant accountability for water consumption.

Types of Apartment Water Submeters

Apartment water submeters differ by measurement technology, reading method, and, if smart, communication method. These aren’t strict or exclusive categories; an ultrasonic smart water submeter, for example, can use one of many communication protocols. Here, we’ll consider meters based on measurement type, reading method, and communication protocol.

 

Types of Water Submeters By Measurement Technology

The following table shows the four most common measurement technologies used in water submeters.

Positive Displacement	Displacement meters measure the exact volume of water by trapping pockets of water in a measuring chamber.  They have very good low-flow accuracy and can detect small, slow leaks.
Turbine	Using an internal spinning rotor, these mechanical water meters measure water velocity, which can be translated into volume readings. Turbine meters are among the most common meter types, but they work best in clean, debris-free water.
Ultrasonic	Ultrasonic meters use high-frequency sound waves to measure the velocity of water flowing through a pipe, which can then be translated into flow and consumption data. Unlike turbine meters, ultrasonic meters have no moving parts, so they can remain highly precise and require little maintenance across their lifecycle.
Electromagnetic	Tracking the voltage induced when conductive water moves through a magnetic field enables electromagnetic meters to measure fluid flow and, therefore, water consumption. Like ultrasonic meters, they have no moving parts.

 

Types of Water Submeters by Reading Method

The following table shows how different water submeter reading methods work.

 

Manual-read Submeters	These are the simplest, most traditional form of submeters. They require a person to physically attend the submeter and take a meter reading, which is then manually sent to the utility or management team for use in billing. They offer a lower upfront cost and simple system time, but require human labor for meter readings and provide no immediate visibility into usage changes.
Automated Meter Reading Submeters	AMR systems automatically collect meter readings without requiring manual inspections. Common collection methods include walk-by or drive-by reading, in which a human worker walks or drives past meters equipped with a special receiver to pick up signals. These systems reduce manual labor and improve reading efficiency, but may not provide continuous monitoring and often provide only one-way communications.
Advanced Metering Infrastructure Submeters	AMi is a significantly more advanced setup than manual or AMR systems. In AMI systems, meters are connected through a network, and enjoy automated data collection and transmission, remote monitoring, and two-way communication. This enables better consumption visibility, easier identification of unusual usage patterns, and can support wider management programs.

 

Types of Water Submeter Communication Methods

The following table contains an illustrative list of submeter communication methods, but it isn’t exhaustive; there are many different communications protocols used across the industry.

 

Cellular	Cellular communication methods leverage existing public cellular networks to transmit meter data. This approach depends on existing mobile network coverage but eliminates the need for private communication networks and their associated infrastructure. This approach allows fast deployment, but typically involves recurring connectivity fees, and is often used for geographically dispersed meters and utility-scale deployments.
LoRaWAN	LoRaWAN is a low-power, long-range wireless communication method that uses a private network, which can be deployed with one or more gateways, making it well-suited for apartment buildings and multifamily properties. This approach gives owners more control over their communication network and infrastructure, as it is a private, owned network.
Wired	Physical cabling transfers data between meters and data collection equipment. Wired systems provide stable and reliable communication, but require additional installation work, planning, and maintenance compared with wireless approaches.

 

A meter’s measurement technology, reading method, and communications technology are entirely separate concepts. A positive displacement meter can have manual or remote reading and may use cellular, LoRaWAN, wired connectivity, or another communications protocol.

How Water Submetering Works in Apartment Buildings?

Submetering in apartment buildings is conceptually straightforward. The main water line still enters the property as usual and supplies each unit through the existing plumbing system. The difference is that every apartment has its own submeter that measures that unit’s individual water use. When smart submeters are installed, they transmit this data to a central platform for processing and billing.

Let’s consider water submetering in more depth by breaking it down into five discrete steps:

• Water enters the building: Water from the municipal supply enters the property through the utility-owned master water meter attached to the building. The utility typically measures the total water delivered to the property and bills based on this usage.

• Water is distributed to individual apartments: After entering the building, water is routed to each apartment.

• Submeters measure unit-level consumption: Submeters installed within each unit provide dedicated measurements of consumption for each unit in the submetered property.

• Data transmission and processing: Many modern smart systems automatically collect, process, and transmit meter data. In legacy systems, data collection and transmission typically requires physical collection and transmission after manual inspections. In smart systems, this data is automatically processed, enabling streamlined billing processes, detailed analytics and reporting, and advanced functionality.

• Billing: As each unit has accurate unit-level consumption data, tenants can be billed individually based on their specific water consumption. This allows more accurate cost allocation, better utility cost recovery, encourages water conservation, and helps property managers identify unusual consumption patterns.

Are Individual Apartment Water Meters and Submeters the Same Thing?

Individual apartment water meters and submeters are not the same thing, although they do perform similar measurement functions. The difference usually comes from how the meter is connected, who owns it, and how the usage data is used.

 

Typically, apartment buildings will have a single “master” water meter that is supplied and owned by the utility company. The utility company uses this master meter to track the amount of water that is supplied to the property. It is possible for utility companies to supply individual utility-owned meter to individual apartment units, but this setup is not usual.

 

In a typical apartment scenario, when an apartment unit has an “individual” water meter, this is a submeter that has been purchased and installed by the apartment’s owner or management team downstream of the building’s master meter and is part of a larger submetering system.

 

In many cases, when people say that an apartment has an individual water meter, they mean that it is submetered.

Do All Apartments Have Individual Water Meters?

No. All apartments will have access to a utility-owned master water meter; only some apartments have fully submetered units. Older buildings are typically designed around centralized plumbing, with consumption monitoring solely based around the master meter. In these cases, they lack individual measurement infrastructure.

 

New construction is much more likely to include submeters for each unit alongside smart monitoring systems. In some jurisdictions, submetering is a regulatory issue and therefore increasingly common. However, not all apartments are submetered yet.

How Are Apartment Water Submeters Different From Master Meters?

Apartment water submeters differ from master meters in several key areas, including ownership model, billing purpose, and location. Here is a table showing the differences between water submeters and master meters at a glance:

Feature	Master Meter	Apartment Submeter
Monitors	The entire property	Individual apartment
Installation	Utility provider	Property owner/management
Billing	Utility billing	Resident allocation
Location	Main water entry point	Apartment water supply line
Data	Total property consumption	Unit-level consumption

Where is the Water Meter Located in an Apartment?

An apartment’s master meter is usually located on the water supply line serving the building, and is often not visible to residents or passersby. When apartments adopt submetering, submeters can be located in various locations throughout the property, depending on the property’s layout.

 

Submeters are typically located on the water supply line serving the apartment unit, but the exact location depends on factors such as accessibility, plumbing complexity, and unit layout. Typical installation locations include utility closets, but individual conditions mean that submeters may be located wherever is necessary.

Benefits of Apartment Water Submetering for Property Managers

Installing a comprehensive smart water submetering solution is a project every property should plan carefully. With the right partner, one who understands the entire chain from the meter to the network and beyond each step of the project is executed thoughtfully. Once implemented, property managers begin to see the benefits immediately. Modern smart submeters help address longstanding challenges in water management for apartments and multi-unit buildings, including water cost recovery, maintenance planning, and even tenant satisfaction.

Water cost recovery	Smart submetering ensures that the full cost of water used on the property is recovered through accurate, unit-level billing. Instead of absorbing utility increases or spreading costs evenly across all residents, submeters capture each unit’s actual consumption and feed that data directly into the billing process. This eliminates losses from flat-rate billing, estimated reads, or unnoticed leaks. As a result, operating budgets become more predictable.
Reduced water waste	When residents are billed for their actual water use, consumption typically decreases. Individual accountability reduces unnecessary usage, lowers building-wide water waste, and supports sustainability goals. For property managers, this often translates into lower overall utility expenses, fewer strain-related plumbing issues, and a more efficient use of resources across the property.
Leak detection & efficient maintenance	Smart submetering provides landlords with a route to optimized and efficient maintenance. Early leak detection enables managers to intervene before minor problems can become major issues, helping to prevent costly water damage. Analytics and anomaly detection enable a more efficient use of maintenance resources, thereby reducing budgets and allowing for more targeted interventions.
Data insights	Comprehensive data collection enables landlords and managers to track consumption history at both the building and individual unit level, allowing for comparative insights and analysis. Long-term consumption trends and statistics can enable landlords to make informed, data-driven decisions about their water management and maintenance budgets.
Improved tenant relationships	Tenant–landlord disputes over billing are a common source of tension. Transparent, usage-based billing helps reduce these conflicts by showing residents exactly how their own water consumption affects their costs. When residents can monitor their usage through a mobile app, they gain control and clarity, leading to fewer misunderstandings and stronger, more cooperative relationships.

 

Benefits of Apartment Water Submetering for Residents

Tenants also benefit from effective water submetering systems. While many benefits are of particular interest to landlords and property managers, tenants can enjoy fair billing, better awareness of their consumption, and even better-protected units.

Fair, accurate billing	Residents pay based on only their actual usage instead of shared estimates
Residents pay only for their own consumption	Residents who use less water than their neighbors no longer subsidize high consumers
Better awareness	Understanding their own consumption patterns enables residents to make informed choices about their water consumption
Predictable water expenses	As billing is consumption based, better visibility enables residents to adjust their consumption according to their billing preferences, so that their bills do not fluctuate unexpectedly
Easier move in/out billing	Determining tenants’ responsibility for bills is easy because usage can be tied to the actual occupancy period rather than estimated
Early leak detection	An early leak detection alert gives residents peace of mind that plumbing problems in their unit are detected early enough to be resolved with minimal fuss

 

How to Get Started with Apartment Water Submetering?

Adopting or upgrading a water submetering system is more straightforward than many property owners and landlords expect. Usually submetering service providers manage nearly the entire process – from site evaluation to installation, data management, and billing integrations. Property owners simply choose the right partner and define their goals.

1. Start by selecting a qualified submetering provider
   The first step is choosing a reliable partner. A professional provider will evaluate your building, recommend the appropriate meter technology, data connectivity, and provide long-term support. 
2. Installation and system setup
   Certified technicians take care of the installation, commissioning, and network setup. Property owners are not expected to coordinate plumbers or contractors, the provider manages scheduling, installation quality, and compliance documentation.
3. Integration with billing and resident communication
   Most providers integrate directly with billing systems or offer their own billing software. Providers typically support the communication process with residents by supplying onboarding materials that explain how billing works, how to access consumption data, and what changes to expect. Smart submetering upgrades do not require significant effort from onsite staff. Most of the transition is handled by the service provider, and the property receives ongoing support after the system is live.

Mainlink can help you get started. We offer a robust and comprehensive smart submetering solution, packed with a range of features. If you’re interested in taking the next step and exploring smart water submetering further, contact Mainlink today. We can help you design a system that meets your specific needs.

How to Install Apartment Water Submeters?

Every apartment water submeter installation is different because every apartment building is unique. However, typical installations require plumbing access, correct hardware, testing protocols, and integration with the submetering system. When you install a water meter, you should typically contact an experienced licensed professional. Apartment water submeter installation can be quite complex and is always best left to professionals.

 

Although each installation is different, the basic apartment water submeter installation process is as follows.

• Shut off the water supply: When installing most types of submeters, pipes must be cut and be free of water. Before cutting, always refer to documentation and local regulations.

• Locate the installation point: Submeters have different installation requirements depending on their brand and manufacturer, so select an appropriate location based on these requirements. Typically, it’s important for submeters to be accessible for maintenance, reading, and repair purposes.

• Prepare the pipe: The pipe typically needs to be prepared for cutting by taking careful measurements to ensure that the meter fits correctly.

• Install any gaskets or fittings: Submeters often require additional fittings and components to ensure a correct fit.

• Fit the submeter: The meter should be installed in the appropriate location along the pipe and aligned with the direction of water flow. There will be an arrow on the meter indicating which direction the meter should be fitted.

• Configure smart systems: Smart meters typically require additional setup to ensure they function correctly and are connected to the submetering system. 

• Restore the water supply: If the water has been shut off, turn it back on at this point for testing.

• Test the installation: Ensure the submeter is correctly measuring water flow and communicating with the submetering system if it is a smart submeter.

• Activate billing systems: After everything has been successfully installed, property managers can integrate data platforms with any third-party management systems.

 

Installation costs for submetering systems vary significantly across the US, depending on regulatory frameworks, labor costs, hardware choices, and software costs. Additionally, every implementation is different and has its own challenges; retrofits, for example, are typically more expensive and complex than new builds. Different implementations of submetering can have radically different costs, even in the same building.

 

For an illustrative example, we can consider two deployment scenarios in a hypothetical 200-unit apartment building in California. 

 

Scenario 1 is an installation of a traditional mechanical metering solution with transceivers, repeaters, remote meter displays, and gateways. We estimate that hardware costs in Scenario 1 amount to $98,500, with an additional $54,400 in labor costs, for a total of $152,900.  

 

Scenario 2 is an installation of Mainlink and Axioma Metering’s smart submetering solution, with ultrasonic smart submeters and two gateways. In Scenario 2, we estimate hardware costs of $73,000, with additional labor costs of $30,400. This is a total cost of $103,400. 

 

These figures are illustrative rather than definitive, but they serve as an excellent example of how installation costs can differ according to simple hardware differences.

Overcoming Common Submetering Challenges

Both owners and residents sometimes have reservations about smart submetering. Adoption isn’t always smooth from this perspective, but the challenges that arise can be easily resolved by choosing the right partners and solutions. Typical concerns involve installation cost and returns on investment, gaining tenant buy-in, and data privacy and security.

Installation Cost & ROI	Infrastructure upgrades across a whole building or a large portfolio of apartment buildings can represent a significant capital expenditure for any building owner. It’s natural to worry about costs and returns. Initial outlays can often be mitigated through various state, regional, or local incentive schemes. Returns can be difficult to measure as they depend on numerous factors.  For an illustrative example, take the installation of our submetering system into a typical 200-unit apartment building in California. We estimate that installation of our system saves $49,500 compared with a traditional submetering setup — and that’s without savings from ongoing maintenance.
Tenant Buy-In	Many tenants can be resistant to change, especially if they perceive themselves to be getting a better deal with the existing system. Some tenants distrust the meters themselves, while others worry about higher bills. Through clear communication, transparency about costs and processes, and education about how the submeters work, tenant attitudes can be changed. Ensure that tenants understand the fairness of the new system, explain how they can benefit from advanced leak protection, and ensure they understand the long-term benefits of this new approach.
Data Security	Any smart device has security concerns, so it’s important to be aware of any issues that may arise. Smart submeters are no different. Many owners and especially tenants have legitimate concerns about how data is stored, who has access to it, and how it’s used. To mitigate these concerns, choose a reputable and trusted vendor that holds all the necessary certifications and meets all relevant regulatory compliances. Reputable vendors will offer devices and platforms with built-in data security. When choosing a vendor, ask about their encryption, their certifications, and the processes they have in place to ensure all data is handled securely.

 

Why Mainlink’s Water Submetering System Can Be a Perfect Solution for Apartments Across the US

Apartment communities across the US face the same fundamental water management challenges: a single building-wide water meter simply cannot provide the level of granular visibility required to control rising water utility costs, support predictive maintenance and leak detection, and deliver accurate bills that also support utility cost recovery.

 

Master metering is an outdated approach that means property teams lack essential data, residents have little to no accountability or engagement in the water conservation process, and owners are stuck with rising utility bills that can’t be adequately passed on to the tenants who generate them.

 

Modern submetering systems solve these problems by adding apartment-level measurement and by providing accurate usage information. However, deployment can often be difficult due to insufficient existing infrastructure, the number of units, regional regulatory requirements, data-collection needs, and other unique issues, requiring partnering with trusted, experienced providers.

 

That’s what we can offer. Mainlink is an experienced provider with a global reach, operating in multiple countries across multiple continents. Our submetering solution is designed to provide multifamily operators, property owners, and apartment communities with the tools they need to manage their water consumption. Our solution is designed for deployment across diverse operating scenarios, helping communities implement unit-level water monitoring across property types and locales.

 

While every state faces different local challenges, Mainlink’s system provides practical tools that make water management just as easy in California and Texas as it is in New York, Alabama, or Florida. 

 

In states like California and Texas, where water conservation is increasingly a priority, our systems help reduce water consumption, quickly identify leaks, and make tenants more accountable for their consumption. In states like New York, submetering systems can help property owners recover utility costs by passing them on to the tenants who generate them through individualized consumption-based billing. 

 

Our system is versatile and flexible; it is vendor-agnostic and supports both new builds and retrofit scenarios. Mainlink’s submetering system is a complete water submetering solution for apartments, comprising water submeters, communications technology, data collection, and meter data management platforma  analyticsmonitoring platform., and full support. A successful submetering project requires more than simple installation; we offer a holistic approach that provides all the components your propertysystem needs.

 

For apartment communities looking to implement water submetering, Mainlink offers a nationwide solution built on modern smart metering technology and tailored to the needs of multifamily properties.

Conclusion

Apartment water submetering addresses the limitations of traditional master-metered utility monitoring. While master meters provide building-level consumption data, submeters track individual unit-level consumption; this distinction provides both owners and residents with the data necessary to support diverse behaviorial changes. Owners enjoy more accurate water cost recovery, better consumption visibility, data-driven building management, and fewer billing disputes. Residents can enjoy transparent, fair charges, access to real-time consumption data to adjust their consumption behavior, and much more predictable billing

 

Modern smart submetering solutions offer significant improvements over legacy systems, enabling automated readings, automated leak detection and alerts, and real, actionable insights. These platforms reduce operational effort and can support long-term maintenance planning. 

 

However, a building’s needs vary depending on existing infrastructure, number of units, and data and billing requirements. As such, it’s essential to partner with a qualified, experienced provider to deliver a submetering system that works for you and your property. If you’re looking to explore submetering options, Mainlink is an experienced provider of multifamily smart submetering solutions operating across the US.