I have done a lot of research on this. I have one park on the remote internet reader.
First thing, do not use a third party (NES, Guardian, etc.). They are incompetent money grabs. This is an easy task and you can bill the admin fee that the third parties do. Depending on the size of the park can be a couple lots of rent.
Second, the wifi reader is great, however I do not think it is worth the cost. I took over a park and scrambled to get the bills under control. A tenant had a major leak, we couldnt find it. WIth the wifi system, I could monitor it on a daily basis. That was great for a month, until my manager was ready to kill me because I would call daily telling her to run over to lot 6, run over to lot 9, etc. I know the old argument “the tenant is on the hook”. Yeah, well they have a $500 water bill because of a leaky toilet, you either eat part of that bill or lose the tenant (most of the time).
I would call Gunner meters (they are actually who F and D use). They are great and their prices are very good. Get the Neptune T-10 with the remote reader. Depending on the size of the park get the memory reader so all your manager has to do is walk by and scan (eliminates most human error) and doesnt have to write anything down. They get back to the office hook the reader up to the computer and the reads are in an excel file. At that point either use Rent Manager’s utility module or use an excel spread sheet with the formulas already in so that you input the data and out comes the bill. The formula are basically the same as the municipalities, however you will have to figure them out from your bill (you theoretically buy in bulk i.e. one fixed cost, and a stepped formula you reach levels one resident wouldnt) so legally your tenants should pay your charge, not as if they were individually buying from the city.
From an installation standpoint, again I have a very competent maintenance person who can clip the water line, throw shark bites on each side and install the meter. Any handy person can do it. If it isn’t your employee it will probably cost someone hourly and they will probably average 20-30 minutes per meter (should anyway). I have actually watched them be installed.
Hope that helps
DR
