Massachusetts Residential Property Utility Sub-metering for Natural Gas Heat

[Rob Beland]

Hey all

I'm looking to see if any landlords in Massachusetts have gone through the process of submetering heat (natural gas). I have a property with one boiler and one gas meter with six zones each with its own thermostat. I'd like to see about installing submeters and bill back tenants for their heat. I found a company in MA that does this but I can't figure out the legalities of it or the process (I do have a call into them). According to MA General Laws, there is a section about submetering water/sewer but it does not address natural gas. In theory the meter would go between the boiler and the thermostat and would possibly measure the amount of time water is circulating? I'm thinking this could be a less expensive alternative to buying and installing six boilers. Does anybody in Massachusetts have experience with this or any insight?