Sub-metering your water is easier than ever.
Simply clamp on any* water line and monitor multiple devices from the app.
Bluebot water submetering is a clamp-on ultrasonic metering system. It lets property managers bill apartments, commercial suites, and irrigation lines for the water each one actually uses. A water submeter sits between a property’s main water meter and an individual unit or area, and it reports what that unit consumed. Bluebot water submeters clamp onto the outside of the pipe. A building can go from one master meter to unit-level water meters with no pipe cutting, no water shutoff, and no plumber.
That last part is the deployment argument. A cut-in meter has to be plumbed into every line you want to measure. That means a shutoff, a permit conversation, and a truck roll per unit. A clamp-on meter never touches the water. The same install works on a copper riser, a PVC irrigation main, and a tenant submeter inside a valve box.
At a glance
- Install: clamp-on, no pipe cutting, no water shutoff, no plumber
- Pipe range: 3/4 inch through 2 inch on Standard models, 2.5 inch through 4 inch on Prime models
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, or LoRaWAN where Wi-Fi cannot reach
- Entry price: from $258.76, including one year of premium data streaming
- Data plan: $4.98 per month from year two, and renewal is optional
- Calibration: NIST-traceable, with a per-unit Calibration Certificate
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What a Water Submeter Does, and Why Per-Unit Metering Changes Usage
Most multi-family properties bill water one of two ways. They fold it into rent, or they split the master-meter bill across units by square footage or occupancy. That second method is ratio utility billing, commonly called RUBS. Neither one reports what a single unit used. No resident sees a number they can act on, and a leak inside one unit is quietly paid for by everyone.
Apartment water submetering replaces the estimate with a reading, and the effect on consumption has been studied directly. The National Multiple Family Submetering and Allocation Billing Program Study was conducted by the East Bay Municipal Utility District and Aquacraft, Inc. with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
It found that submetered properties used 15.3 percent less water on average, or 21.8 gallons per day per unit, than properties that included water in rent. The same study found that allocation-formula billing produced no statistically significant reduction. That research dates from July 2004, so treat it as the long-standing baseline for the behavior rather than a current-year figure (EBMUD and Aquacraft, 2004).
The mechanism is simple enough to state plainly. A resident billed for an estimate has nothing to change. A resident billed for a reading does. Cost allocation by apartment water submeter also ends the argument: when a tenant disputes a charge, you have the line, the period, and the volume rather than a formula.
Deploy on Any Line in the Building
Bluebot clamp-on submetering uses transit-time ultrasonic measurement. A patented robotic servo sets the sensor angle for the pipe it is mounted on, and nothing enters the flow path. An inline meter sits in the water it measures. That is why cut-in designs tend to restrict flow, and why impeller-based designs can foul with sediment over time.
Pipe support is bounded, and it differs by model, so check the range before you order. The 100-W (Bluebot Hero) and the 100-WAN (Bluebot ProLink) support more than 80 pipe size and material combinations. Those cover copper (Type L and M), PVC (Schedule 40 and 80), CPVC, PEX, PE, galvanized steel, and stainless steel. The 50-W (Bluebot Mini) is a narrower unit. The 50-W fits 3/4 inch and 1 inch pipe only, in copper, PVC, PEX, and galvanized steel.
Choosing the Right Bluebot for a Multi-Unit Property
Three things decide the model: pipe size, whether the line is reachable by Wi-Fi, and how many lines you are metering. As of September 2026, the lineup and starting prices are:
Model | Pipe size | Connectivity | Gateway required | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
3/4 inch and 1 inch | Wi-Fi | No | $258.76 | |
3/4 inch through 2 inch | Wi-Fi | No | $558.34 | |
3/4 inch through 2 inch | LoRaWAN | Yes | $613.84 |
Every starting price above includes one year of premium data streaming. From year two, premium streaming costs $4.98 per month and renewal is optional, not a required multi-year commitment. See the data plan terms for the full schedule. Pipe sizes above 2 inch are covered by the Prime models, which reach 4 inch.
The Hero and the ProLink use the same ultrasonic sensing platform. They deliver identical flow measurement performance, and their only difference is how they report. The Hero connects over Wi-Fi straight to the Bluebot Cloud. The ProLink reports over LoRaWAN and requires a Bluebot Gateway. The Gateway is a separate purchase starting at $399.00 and is not included in the meter price. Budget for it: a ProLink at $613.84 plus the entry-level gateway is $1,012.84 for a working first-year installation.
That architecture is what makes large properties practical. One gateway covers many Bluebot smart water meters over long range and low power. That suits a below-grade meter room, a detached irrigation controller, or a tenant valve box where site Wi-Fi does not reach. Browse the full lineup and gateways to size a deployment.
Where Submetering Pays Off
- Multi-family residential. Apartments, condominiums, and mobile home parks, where per-unit billing replaces a formula and removes the dispute.
- Commercial buildings. Office suites, retail, and mixed-use developments where tenants have very different water profiles and a single split is indefensible.
- Institutional facilities. Schools, hospitals, and community centers metering by wing, building, or process.
- Irrigation. Landscape and agricultural lines metered separately from domestic use, which is often the largest and least visible line on a property.
Reading, Billing, and Catching What the Monthly Bill Hides
Readings land in the bluebot Water mobile app and in FloDash(TM), the web dashboard. There you can organize lines by unit, track common areas separately, and share usage reports with tenants. Lines can be grouped in the mobile app too, so a portfolio reads as a portfolio rather than as a pile of meters.
Continuous measurement also surfaces problems a monthly bill cannot. A monthly bill reports once a month. A meter that watches flow reports continuously, and that difference in timing is the whole of the advantage. A Bluebot submeter detects unusual and continuous flow and sends a leak alert. It measures and reports, and it does not shut water off. In one Bluebot case study, per-line measurement exposed a $13,000 billing error that a master meter had never revealed.
Continuous data is also how you separate a real leak from a billing question. If you are chasing a high water bill with no visible leak, a per-line reading tells you which line is running. To reconcile the Bluebot submetering system against the utility’s own device, start with how to read your water meter.
Compliance Varies by Jurisdiction
Many municipalities now encourage or require submetering in new multi-family and commercial construction. Several states also regulate how a landlord may bill a tenant for water. Those rules genuinely vary, and they govern the billing method as much as the hardware. Confirm the requirements for your state and municipality before you change a billing practice. Check for a utility rebate while you are there, since many programs offset metering costs. Bluebot maintains a rebate finder for that purpose.
Get Pricing for Your Property
Tell us the pipe sizes, the number of lines, and whether Wi-Fi reaches them, and we will size the deployment. Volume pricing is available for orders of four or more meters. Call 1-888-258-4119 or start with the commercial team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Wi-Fi in every apartment to install Bluebot submeters?
No. The 50-W (Bluebot Mini) and the 100-W (Bluebot Hero) connect over Wi-Fi, so they suit lines already within reach of site coverage. Where Wi-Fi does not reach, such as a below-grade meter room or a detached irrigation controller, the 100-WAN (Bluebot ProLink) reports over LoRaWAN through a Bluebot Gateway. One gateway serves many meters.
Is it legal to bill tenants for water using a submeter?
That depends on where the property is. Many states and municipalities permit submetered billing, and some now require submetering in new multi-family construction. The rules govern the billing method as much as the hardware, so confirm your state and municipal requirements, and your lease language, before you change how you bill. Bluebot does not provide legal advice.
How much does apartment water submetering cost per unit?
Budget by meter and by connectivity. As of September 2026, the 50-W (Bluebot Mini) starts at $258.76, the 100-W (Bluebot Hero) at $558.34, and the 100-WAN (Bluebot ProLink) at $613.84. Each price includes one year of premium data streaming. A ProLink deployment also needs a Bluebot Gateway, starting at $399.00, which is shared across many meters.
How accurate is a Bluebot water submeter?
Accuracy differs by model, so read the number beside the model you are buying. In the field, the 100-W (Bluebot Hero) and the 100-WAN (Bluebot ProLink) measure 98 to 99 percent of flow reading, with a typical tolerance of 1 to 2 percent. The 50-W (Bluebot Mini) measures 95 to 97 percent, with a tolerance of 3 to 5 percent. Laboratory calibration figures are higher, and real performance varies with pipe material, pipe size, and installation quality.
Can a Bluebot submeter shut the water off during a leak?
No, and that is deliberate. A Bluebot submeter measures and reports. It detects unusual and continuous flow and sends an alert so your team can act. It is a meter, not a valve. That is precisely what lets it clamp onto a tenant line or an irrigation main where a shutoff device cannot be fitted.
Can I switch an occupied building from RUBS to submetering?
Yes. Bluebot submeters clamp onto the outside of the pipe, so installation needs no pipe cutting, no water shutoff, and no plumber. Units stay in service and residents keep their water while the work is done. Confirm the notice and billing-change requirements in your jurisdiction before the new method takes effect.
