FAQ
What will the billing cycle be?
The billing cycle is normally monthly; however, there are instances where billing occurs bimonthly based upon the local provider’s normal billing cycle.
How are charges allocated?
We measure individual unit usage if there is a submeter located with the unit. If your property is not submetered and you prefer not to make a capital investment in submetering, MeterTex will apply an industry-accepted, mathematical formula to the property bill to allocate the charges to each individual unit. This formula can include a combination of the following variables: residents per unit (occupancy), number of bedrooms, and square footage. This is called RUBS or Ratio Utility Billing Service.
Do I need a utility deposit
NO, there is no additional deposit required for utilities, you will just have to pay your monthly utility charges as per the statements issued to you.
How is my bill calculated if there is no meter installed at my apartment?
Ratio Utility Billing (RUBS) is a mathematical formula used to determine each resident’s utility expense in case submeters are not/cannot be installed. This formula can be based on the number of occupants per apartment and/or square footage of the apartment.
How can I be sure about the fairness of the RUBS billing method?
The RUBS method is accepted by state legislations and has been proven reliable.
Will I have to pay a monthly service fee besides the utility charges?
All utility billing companies charge a billing fee, which is a nominal and covers our cost of operation. Depending on the state regulations, these fees are either payable by the property or are passed on to the tenants.
Will I still have to pay utility bill if I am out of town?
Residents billed by RUBS method will have to pay the pro-rata share of the utility regardless of consumption since it is a proportionate allocation plan.
How are my meters read?
There are few ways we retrieve meter readings, this will vary from property to property.
Manual Meter Reading System: A meter reader is scheduled to your property and physically reads your meter (or remote counter if required) monthly.
Automated Meter Reading System (AMR): With this system, typically the meter is inside a home or enclosed area that is not accessible. The meter is equipped with an output pulse and read switch which is wired to transmitter (usually utilizing wireless transmissions). Each transmitter will “talk” to a repeater located on or near your building. The repeater will then forward the transmission to the Data Collector. We will connect to the Data Collector by modem and retrieve the meter readings.
Drive By Reading System: Again with this system, typically the meter is inside a home or enclosed area that is not accessible. The meter is wired to a transmitter that transmits meter readings (and serial number) once it has received it’s “wake up and transmit” call. A meter reader will walk or drive by the meters with a receiving device that will send out the “wake up call” and receive the meter reading.
