Problem

As Colorado water rates continue to skyrocket by up to 44% every year to cover new infrastructure, reducing water usage and utility expenses has become a top priority for homeowners associations. Many communities have found that metering can help residents cut their water consumption by 15-40% and promote fairer billing practices.

In response to above-average water usage and rising costs in their community, one HOA Board in Parker, Colorado requested a water audit from SimpleSUB Water to try out our ultrasonic submetering technology. We then launched a pilot project that helped the HOA identify patterns in water usage, detect costly leaks, and bill each resident for their actual consumption.

Challenges

• Rising water costs of 3%+ per year: The community’s water costs were significant for its
  size and continued increasing every year.
• Prohibitive costs of traditional metering: Initial estimates showed that installing
  individual meters would cost $1,000+ per unit and create liability from in-home construction.
• Transparent usage data: In multi-dwelling units where occupancy and water usage
  varies, it can be difficult to ensure accurate and fair billing for residents.

Solution

• SimpleSUB Water’s water audit and pilot project provided a more cost-effective, low-risk, and hands-free alternative to traditional submetering.
• The audit identified leaks in at least 17
  buildings that were wasting the HOA over
  $63,000 per year.
• Using the audit’s findings, SimpleSUB Water
  presented an affordable pilot project to install
  the meters in selected units for one-third of the
  cost of traditional metering.

Outcome

SimpleSUB Water installed our Z1 meters in 5 units that were flagged for excessive water usage. Each non-invasive meter was installed in 10 minutes, and one test unit was also installed alongside the city meter. Within the first few hours, we detected a leak in one unit due to a failing water softener device that wasted 434 gallons of water in just 5 hours. This detection is projected to save the HOA about 788,000 gallons of water and $16,500 per year.

1. Detected a leak in the first few hours due from a failing water softener device that used 434 gallons of water within 5 hours.
2. Helped bill residents for their fair share of water, reduced time to fix leaks, and enhanced property values. Our submetering technology is
   projected to:
   ° Reduce HOA dues by $76 by decoupling water costs.
   ° Decrease community water costs by $136k/year (25% drop in usage).
   ° Save the community $384k over the next 5 years.

This pilot test highlights how SimpleSUB Water’s over-the-pipe design and ultrasonic technology can empower communities to take control of their water usage–without the hefty sticker price or liability of in-line meters.

Between real-time leak detection and unit-level readings, communities like HOAs can promote water conservation, recover water utility expenses, and take the guesswork out of resident billing. That’s a win for the HOA board, its
residents, and the planet.

Starting with a pilot of SimpleSUB Water was an easy decision. Within the first day, we found a major leak and high water user, and expect to save a minimum of $63k/year by installing meters on the entire property.