Sub-metering Helps With Energy Conservation

Residential property owners who wish to run greener buildings are often frustrated by their lack of alternatives

. They often have little control over tenant use of utilities, limiting their options for conservation initiatives. Many are addressing this problem by installing sub-metering systems and billing tenants for utility use directly.

Cutting Back

When property owners don't charge for utilities separately, residents have little reason to conserve energy. Cutting back on electrical use often involves making small sacrifices, and without the benefit of lower utility costs there is less incentive to do so. No matter how well intentioned a tenant is, it's easy to make excuses to avoid steps that would save energy.

In addition, without sub-metering a tenant finds it hard to judge how much energy they are saving by the steps they do take. Turning off a few lights, not using the hair dryer, or washing clothes in cold water can reduce a person's energy use but without feedback from a monthly electric bill tenants don't know if their efforts are having a significant effect.

Savers Save, Abusers Pay

Sub-metering properties means most tenants will actually pay less each month. Studies carried out by electrical utilities across the nations have shown that individual electric usage varies widely from unit to unit and the majority of electricity is used by only a small number of apartments. Rather than continuing to subsidize these wasteful tenants, each utility user can be rewarded for their own conservation efforts.

A few tenants will see an increase in expenses from sub-metering, but these are the utility customers who are wasting energy. Often, when faced with the cost of their energy abuse, they will change their ways and severely reduce their usage over the first few months. Analyses show that buildings that move to sub-metering systems can expect a 10% or greater reduction in electric usage in the first year.

Tenants and Sub-Metering

Landlords will find that their renters will embrace the new system because they are now rewarded for their efforts. The reduction in monthly expenses most tenants see makes this one of the most popular building upgrades property owners can make. In fact, many sub-metering initiatives are championed by the tenants themselves rather than being started by the property owners.

Of course the energy gluttons will object as they see their monthly expenses shoot up and landlords need to be prepared for complaints from a minority of residents. Address these concerns with advice on conservation measures and these tenants can also be turned into sub-metering advocates when they see how a few simple changes will cut their electric bill significantly.

Reducing a building's electrical demand has effects that reach outside the property line. As more buildings conserve energy, fewer resources are used and less pollution is generated. Conservation efforts are a vital step in improving conditions in your local neighborhood and the larger metropolitan area.

by: Christine Harrell

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