Plug-and-Play Precision: How a Retail Center Saved Thousands with SimpleSUB’s Smart Water Monitoring

Overview

At a major retail shopping center with over 100 tenants, including national brands like Walmart and Fit For Less, aging plumbing and outdated submetering systems had become a serious liability.

Existing meters were unreliable—plagued by connectivity issues and delayed reporting—and the cost of installing traditional inline meters across such a large footprint was prohibitive. Meanwhile, water usage across tenants varied dramatically, yet the property manager had no easy way to detect anomalies or assign costs accurately.

By deploying SimpleSUB Water’s plug-and-play submetering system, the center was able to instantly monitor usage, catch leaks, and simplify billing without any plumbing work or operational disruption.

Customer Profile

• Property: Large Retail Shopping Center
• Type: 100 tenants, including Walmart and Fit For Less
• Location: Undisclosed
• Meter Count: 100+ units
• Interviewee: Bob, Water Conservation Consultant

The Problem: Big Tenants, Bigger Blind Spots

Despite having over 100 individual tenants, the property manager lacked visibility into daily water consumption trends or meaningful usage data.

25 tenants were flagged with unusually high consumption, but there was no way to identify causes.

Outdated submetering infrastructure posed several challenges:

• High latency and frequent connectivity issues.
• Manual reporting that took hours to compile.
• No anomaly alerts, making leaks hard to catch until bills arrived.
• Installation risks and costs made traditional upgrades out of the question.

For a high-traffic center with restaurants, fitness centers, and retail spaces, usage patterns varied wildly. But without tenant-level insight, billing was often seen as unfair, and cost recovery lagged behind actual expenses.

The Solution: Plug-and-Play Monitoring With Real-Time Precision

The property selected SimpleSUB Water for its non-invasive, LTE-enabled solution that offered fast installation and instant insights.

“SimpleSUB has been a game-changer for our property. The plug-and-play technology makes it simple to use, and the LTE connectivity ensures accurate, real-time data.”
— Bob, Water Conservation Consultant

Installation was fast, even for a complex property footprint, and the property team began receiving automated monthly reports in just minutes.

Key capabilities included:

• Plug-and-Play Compatibility: No costly plumbing work, which is perfect for aging infrastructure.
• Real-Time LTE Monitoring: Zero-latency data for instant leak detection and usage tracking.
• Automated Reporting: Monthly usage reports now take just four minutes to generate.
• Consultation & Insights: Monthly check-ins to review usage trends and uncover patterns.

Results: Leaks Stopped, Time Saved, and Tenant Trust Restored

In less than a year, the center saw powerful results:

• 10 leaks identified and resolved across nine months.
• Flagged a Dairy Queen tenant using 8–9x more water than similar spaces.
• Avoided the need for labor-intensive inline meter setups.
• Reduced admin time with automated, accurate reporting.
• Improved tenant relationships through transparent and usage-based billing.

“I’ve tried many systems, but this one is reliable and incredibly efficient. For large retail centers with aging infrastructure, SimpleSUB’s plug-and-play meters deliver unmatched accuracy, transparency, and cost recovery—without the risks of traditional systems.”
— Bob L., Water Conservation Consultant

Modernize Large-Scale Water Monitoring Without the Headaches

At a 100-tenant shopping center with aging infrastructure, SimpleSUB Water replaced unreliable meters and manual reporting with plug-and-play, LTE-connected submeters—no plumbing required. Within months, the property team identified 10 hidden leaks, flagged one tenant using 8–9x more water than peers, and streamlined monthly reporting from hours to minutes. The result: accurate tenant billing, stronger cost recovery, and zero installation risk. For large retail centers looking to eliminate waste and disputes, SimpleSUB delivers effortless precision at scale.

‍‍Schedule a demo to see how it works.