Philadelphia Water Submetering Case Study: How Brewerytown Apartments Stopped Water Waste

Overview

Managing water costs across multiple apartment buildings in Philadelphia is no small challenge, especially when tenants are charged flat rates while actual water usage surges. That was the reality for Brewerytown Management, a property group overseeing 45 units across 6 buildings.

Despite charging tenants $25/month for water, the company was often receiving utility bills of $300–$500 per building, leaving a wide and unsustainable cost gap. With no way to see which units were overusing water or where leaks were hiding, the management team was left absorbing the difference.

Everything changed when they implemented SimpleSUB Water’s clamp-on submetering system. Within weeks, Brewerytown transformed its approach to billing, accountability, and leak prevention.

Customer Profile

• Property: Brewerytown Management
• Type: Apartment buildings
• Location: Philadelphia, PA
• 45 units across 6 properties
• Kristen M., Property Manager

The Problem: Soaring Costs and Zero Accountability

Water rates in Philadelphia are among the highest in the country, and for Brewerytown, flat-rate billing simply wasn’t cutting it.

“Philly has really high water rates—$25 per unit wasn’t covering the $300–$500 per building we were getting billed,”
— Kristen M., Property Manager

Without unit-level monitoring, tenants had no visibility into their usage. Silent leaks like running toilets often went undetected for weeks. Maintenance issues weren’t reported promptly, and there was no way to identify which units were driving up the bills.

The impact was significant:

• Unreported leaks caused massive water losses.
• Tenants had no incentive to report issues or conserve water.
• Owners absorbed thousands in unrecoverable costs.
• The lack of accountability hurt profitability across all properties.

The Solution: Plug-and-Play Submetering With Real-Time Visibility

Looking for a solution that wouldn’t disrupt tenants or require complex plumbing retrofits, Brewerytown chose SimpleSUB Water for its easy, over-the-pipe design.

Installation was completed in 5 of the 6 properties within just a few weeks. Each clamp-on meter featured LTE connectivity, real-time tracking, and automated tenant billing via Buildium integration, so water costs could finally be tied directly to tenant behavior.

Key features included:

• Real-Time Usage Tracking: Instantly revealed abnormal spikes, helping the team detect and resolve leaks quickly.
• Automated Monthly Reports: Tenants began receiving clear usage data, which encouraged conservation and faster issue reporting.
• Buildium Integration: Submetering charges appeared directly on lease ledgers, streamlining collections and eliminating manual data entry.
• Drop-in Meter Swaps: Quick hardware replacement ensured minimal downtime when one device needed servicing.
• Data Export Options: CSV and Excel files supported easy internal tracking and billing transparency.

Results: Higher Collections, Less Admin Work, and Leak Prevention

Within the first few months, Brewerytown saw dramatic improvements:

• 5 properties fully live with submeters.
• Water billing aligned with real usage, eliminating the budget gap.
• Leak detection improved, preventing major overages.
• Most tenants paid immediately after receiving reports.
• Admin workload reduced with automation and platform simplicity.
• Only one meter issue reported, which was quickly resolved by SimpleSUB support.
• Tenants began requesting their own usage data, showing higher engagement.

“Before SimpleSUB Water, we were constantly chasing leaks and wasting money. Now, we can identify and fix issues before they get out of hand. The savings have already justified the investment!”
— Kristen M., Property Manager

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Turn Water Losses into Profit with Real-Time Tenant Accountability

Brewerytown Management closed a costly billing gap across six Philadelphia apartment buildings after adopting SimpleSUB Water. By replacing flat-rate billing with clamp-on submeters, the team gained real-time visibility, automated tenant billing, and faster leak detection, transforming water expenses into recoverable revenue. Tenants now pay for what they use, leaks are caught before they cause damage, and the management team has full control without extra admin work. If your portfolio faces high water bills and low accountability, SimpleSUB delivers quick ROI and lasting transparency.

‍Schedule a demo here.