The traditional method for utility management of electricity, gas or water tracks monthly usage for an entire building with no breakdown of consumption by unit or tenant.
Because there is only one bill for the entire property, it takes manual work by the property owner to break down the utilities by those who are using it. This is a time consuming, incredibly tedious effort on the part of the landlord, and it is counterproductive financially and in terms of energy use.
How can submetering installation save energy?
When submetering equipment is installed in a residential or commercial property, it creates a new level of accountability. Now every tenant knows exactly how much electricity they are using, how much gas, and how much water. This tends to lead to lower consumption. If you are a property owner of commercial buildings, you know that the type of commercial tenant plays a major role in how much energy they consume. A grocery store will require a different energy load than a pet store, a pet store a different than a clothing store, a clothing store than a beauty spa, and all of these would differ from a simple office building. Every tenant must use utilities based on their specific needs, and those needs may create a larger need for one or more utilities.
Your submetering system will provide you with a detailed breakdown that reveals not just usage as a flat piece of information. You will receive an energy breakdown that shows trends, outliers, timeframes of higher use (by specific area). You’ll have all the tools and resources you need to be able to communicate with your tenants, and check on any issues you may see after reviewing the report.
Did you know that in some states submetering of commercial properties is becoming a legal requirement? That’s because data trends and studies are revealing that Submetering plays a significant role in helping save utilities.
When people understand how much of something they are using, and what that’s costing them, they are more motivated to make important changes. And businesses, which are driven by the bottom line, may be even more motivated in this way. When there is an opportunity to save cash, businesses get that cash savings are passed along to customers and investors.
When you consider that Submetering investments typically pay off in under three years, and are one of the most cost effective, and best return on investments, for energy upgrades, there is no denying the benefit of adding a submetering system to your facility.