Nightmare on Submeter Street

We go into some creepy places in our work. But we don't worry. We know the on-site teams are taking care of what needs taking care of.

Here’s what's actually scary.

Photo by Jon Lebkowsky via Wikimedia Commons

Hardware Horrors

Incorrect meter installation is far more common than you might think. In our experience, improper installation underreports electricity usage by 30% (or more, if it's really bad).

Here’s what we see all the time:

• Poor instructions on the plans
• Wrong meter for the load (resulting in inaccuracy)
• Meters measuring a different area than you think
• Meters on the plans that were never actually hooked up

Photo by Logan Voss on Unsplash

Software Communication Scares

As George Bernard Shaw once said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion it has taken place.” Turns out this is as true in software as it is for humans.

Here are common problems to watch out for:

• Data mismapping, which can result in kWh values from meter A being added to amps from meter B
• No time stamp with the consumption data
• Data collector doesn’t check that the sent data was actually received

A genuine cost recovery chart a client received from a competitor of ours. Now this is scary!

Ghostly Support

Can you imagine receiving this 👆 summary with your billing packages? One of our competitors actually sent this chart to a customer.

Upon receiving this bleak banquet, the property manager reached out to us to help him understand why his tenant utility bills totaled amounts like $0.40 and $23. For sure, the tenants would be happy with these bills. But there’s no way these amounts were accurate.

What’s worse, the current billing provider didn't even notice the problem. They just plugged and chugged the numbers. Clearly, they never actually looked at them. 

Thankfully, the manager did read through the billing packages and didn’t deliver these invoices. He knows how hard it is to back-bill.

One contract. Three binders. So many scammy terms. Photo by Christopher Angerame

Malevolent Contracts

Just last week we saw yet another contract touting the benefits of "Submetering as a Service." "No upfront costs!" they say. Much higher ongoing costs, we point out – costs that balloon your total contract above what you would have paid with regular billing services. Plus, you’re stuck maintaining a proprietary system that you don’t own. This particular offer even charged the client every time they asked a question.

If a submetering contract sounds too good to be true, we suggest you get a second opinion on what you’re really signing up for. We’re happy to flag terms that aren’t what they appear, so you can make an informed decision. We can also help you negotiate to get the contract you want on terms you understand.