RUBS or Ratio Utility Billing System
The fairest way to bill for utility usage when submeters are not installed
Many of the communities we work with hire us to install or already have utility meters in each unit that monitors exact usage. However, we can also bill communities that do not have meters using a “Ratio Utility Billing System”, (RUBS).
Utility providers place one large water, gas or electric meter at the point where the utility enters the entire community, and bill the community directly for usage. It is up to the community to then bill the residents and collect payment to cover this bill. When a community does not have individual meters in each unit, there is no way for them to measure the usage of each unit. This is when a RUBS Utility Billing Solution can be used to calculate costs to residents.
So, how does RUBS Utility Billing work? The RUBS formula will consider the property’s total cost for water and divide that cost over all residences, billing a percentage of the total cost to each residence based on the square footage of the residence, the number of occupants, and sometimes the number of bathrooms or bedrooms.
At Oates Energy, we can work with these properties who do not have utility meters. The community decides what factors they would like to use in their RUBS formula and any additional charges for services provided to residents, and Oates Energy will take on the task of billing each residence using the property’s RUBS formula.
Residents often expect to be billed based on their exact usage so it is important they know the RUBS method of utility billing is commonly used and considered a fair way to bill utilities when exact usage cannot be determined. If a resident is away from home for extended periods of time, it is also important that they relay their time away to their community.
If a community is already billing using the RUBS method of billing and would like to bill residents on their actual usage, please call our Sales Team today at 800-717-9811 or submit a quote request through our website to discuss installation of water sub meters at a reasonable cost!
