Bulk Hot Water Systems
Traditionally services like bulk hot water (circulating hot water), heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and gas in apartment buildings are unmetered. Because the usage of each apartment is not measured, the cost of these services is borne by the Owners Corporation / Body Corporate / Strata and then charged to lot owners on a lot liability basis, which is not necessarily representative of the consumption of individual lots.
Submetering is the installation of private metering devices (owned by the property owner or strata managers such as the owners corporation or body corporate, rather than the energy provider) that measure utility usage for individual tenants or lots. Landlords and owners corporations around the world recognise that submetering is an effective cost recovery solution.
With private metering installed, a landlord can monitor (and charge) energy usage to each section of the property individually and account for actual energy usage.
Utility sub metering is a cost-effective way to provide utilities including bulk hot water, heating and cooling to occupiers of apartment buildings whilst saving space in apartments. Circulating Hot water can be heated with gas or electricity and incorporates solar heating.
Submetering provides facility managers with the ability to control energy usage in a building and bill tenants effectively. With utility submetering installed, a landlord can access cost recovery solutions to cover common areas, maintenance costs and, in some instances, generate a surplus. A typical application of a residential sub-metering system is for bulk hot water.
Cost Recovery Solutions – Bulk Hot Water
What Is Bulk Hot Water
In a standard Circulating (bulk) Hot Water system, the cost for the water and the energy used to heat it will be incurred by the Strata Manager. Lot Liability (share of strata managers or the owners corporation or body corporate expenses) is then used to recover costs from individual owners or landlords within the building for hot water usage.
The downside of this system is that the cost incurred is not accurate relative to usage.
In an Energy On Bulk Hot Water System with private metering installed, the owners corporation can move to a “user pays” model, where each occupier pays only for the hot water they use.
A bulk hot water system with private metering is beneficial for:
- Property Developers/Owners Corporations
Reduced running costs, accurate billing, cost recovery, eliminate wastage - Occupiers/Tenants
More space in each apartment as each dwelling does not require an individual hot water system. - The Environment
High-efficiency systems typically produce substantially less green-house gases.
Cost Recovery Solutions - Heating and Cooling
As with Circulating Hot Water, some heating and cooling solutions are centralised and divided based on the number of occupancies. Similar cost recovery solutions are available depending on the solution in place and the capacity to meter each occupancy.
In certain developments and meter configurations where the Owners Corporation bears the cost of cold water and gas, Energy On can design an effective recovery solution.
Benefits of Submetering
- Accuracy - Accurate monitoring of consumption in real time, no estimates.
- Data gathering - A private meter network collects detailed consumption data
- Informed Decisions – Use gathered data to optimise energy performance, reduce energy costs and reduce environmental footprints.
- Eliminate Waste - Identify and eliminate sources of wasted energy
- Monitoring & Maintenance – Identify issues or potential issues quickly and safely for repair before equipment failure. Energy On offer energy consulting services to help you measure, monitor and manage your energy efficiently.