ADU owners or ADU-knowledgeable: Submetering
We built an ADU in 2019 (with permits), and did not have separate metering for water, gas, or electricity due to cost. I understand that there is a lower cost option to having separate meters: submetering. I am writing to find out if anyone has had this done post-construction (or knows this process), and what your experience was? Has it helped you figure out the bills? Is maintenance pretty straightforward? What did it cost, and who did you use? Any helpful information you can provide is appreciated. Thanks
Mar 3, 2025
Parent Replies
I’m just finalizing my ADU right now in Walnut Creek. Both my water and electrical are branched off my main house. I did not run dedicated service to the ADU. I’m trying to figure out a cost effective way to sub-meter myself. There is a basic water meter you can have installed that will run about $40 on Amazon (Watflow 3/4” water meter) or you can get one that has to connect to Wi-Fi and you can read it remotely. My plumber wanted me to install the Moen Flow, but the reviews are mixed. It’s a shutoff meter as well and you might get a discount on your homeowners insurance but it does require it to be plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi at all times. For electrical the most cost effective option was also on Amazon called Emporia Vue home energy monitor that my electrician said he had used. It does let you remotely monitor it. Ironically a non-smart system was going to cost much more to install.
While neither of these solutions will give exact usage, I felt it would be fine because I can take the reading and compare it to my total usage to calculate approximately how much the ADU utilities are costing me.