How submetering makes water and heating costs fairer for tenants

Automated submetering fundamentally changes the way meters in apartments are read for water and energy consumption. Modern remote reading technologies enable the usage data for individual residential units to be recorded at short intervals.

This has a major impact on the energy costs for tenants. Elvaco is confident that automated submetering means the energy costs for tenants can finally become more transparent and fairer. This blog post describes the benefits of automated submetering.

The link between automated submetering and energy costs

Submetering that can be read remotely is a state of the art method that enables the individual metering and billing of water and heat energy consumption in residential buildings. Basically, submetering enables the water and energy used by each tenant to be recorded accurately, instead of allocating flat-rate costs to all residents. 

Installing smart metering infrastructures and taking regular remote meter readings gives tenants a transparent insight into how much water and energy they actually use. This not only helps them optimise their own consumption, but also gives them an incentive to save energy. 

Through more responsible water and energy use, tenants can reduce their monthly utility costs while also actively helping to protect the climate and the environment. Automated submetering enables fair and accurate billing, empowering tenants to control their energy costs and even reduce them in the long term.

At a glance: the benefits of automated submetering for the water and energy costs for tenants

• Greater transparency in usage data
• Fairer structure for water and energy costs
• Incentive to act sustainably
• Opportunity to actively reduce additional costs

Automated submetering gives tenants transparency about their water and energy costs

Automated digital submetering gives tenants greater transparency about their water and heating costs. Whereas annual meter readings could result in unexpected price shocks, regular meter readings, taken roughly once a month, along with short-term consumption information, enable tenants to act promptly in response to excessive energy consumption. 

Just like checking the prices at a petrol station as you pass each day, monthly billing or consumption figures provide better control over expenditure on water and energy. 

Tenants can often be surprised by unexpectedly high costs, as they are not aware of exactly how much they are using and any new prices, particularly when there is an energy crisis. Smart submetering provides clarity by making individual water and energy consumption transparent and allowing tenants to monitor and adjust their expenditure as necessary. 

This transparency not only helps tenants use water and energy more conservatively, but also improves their financial planning and increases environmental awareness.

Automated submetering means fair water and heating costs for all tenants

Automated submetering enables the fair allocation of water and heating costs to all tenants in a residential or commercial building. Instead of recording the total consumption for the building, the consumption of each individual residential or commercial unit is measured. This enables more precise benchmarking between apartments, particularly for the water and energy consumption of an average user in the same user category.  

Recording the internal temperature, humidity or CO2 content, for example, also enables the air quality to be improved for the tenants, which has a direct impact on comfort in the home. Digital submetering also helps to identify poor tenant behaviour by enabling comparison with the consumption of previous tenants.

Transparency in terms of individual consumption not only encourages more energy-conserving behaviour, but also ensures that costs are allocated to tenants more fairly, as each pays only for their actual consumption. So, high consumption means high costs, and tenants are financially rewarded for using less energy.

Automated submetering can reduce water and heating costs for tenants in the long run

Automated submetering not only provides a transparent cost structure, but can also help reduce the water and energy costs for tenants. The ability to monitor their individual water and energy consumption provides a natural incentive to save water and energy. Tenants have direct control over their consumption and can reduce their costs through their behaviour. 

Low consumption leads directly to savings, in terms of heating costs for example. In the long term, this leads to lower overall costs and improved heating efficiency in residential buildings. 

Cutting energy consumption also contributes to greater sustainability by reducing both resource use and the CO2 emissions produced by energy consumption. Digital submetering not only encourages tenants to be cost efficient, but also helps to protect the environment and contributes to the long-term sustainability of residential properties.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that state of the art remote meter reading makes energy costs more tangible and easy to understand for tenants and maybe even helps reduce them too. Automated submetering enables the fair and transparent allocation of energy costs to individual residential or commercial units. 

The ability to monitor individual energy consumption gives tenants an incentive to save energy, which in turn leads to a reduction in overall costs. Automated submetering also helps to promote energy efficiency and sustainability by encouraging energy-conscious behaviour and so reducing the environmental footprint.

FAQs about water and heating costs for tenants

What are the benefits of automated submetering for tenants?

Automated submetering provides greater transparency of usage data, enables fairer allocation of water and energy costs and provides incentives to act sustainably. By actively reducing their additional costs, tenants can cut their water and energy bills in the long term and at the same time help protect the environment. This is particularly important in times of crisis with an uncertain energy supply.

How can automated submetering make water and heating costs fairer for tenants?

Automated submetering enables the accurate measurement of the water and energy consumption of each individual residential or commercial unit, which means energy costs can be allocated fairly to tenants.

Can automated submetering help reduce the water and heating costs for tenants?

Yes, digital submetering can help reduce the water and heating costs for tenants by basing automated billing on actual energy consumption. This also provides incentives to save water and energy and promotes more conscientious behaviour. Less intensive use of water and energy brings immediate cost savings for tenants and also improves the energy efficiency of residential buildings in the long term.