How to separate utilities?

Question

New here, does anyone know who to contact or what the costs would be to separate water/sewer, gas, and electric?

Nevin Wilkie · Answer

If the property is already built and in place with only one main for everything. It will cost a lot to redo do all the services.

Ericka Parrott · Answer

I work in GA.  A legal duplex will have everything separate.

Jedd Braunwarth · Answer

@Blair Ross Jr Using the actual local utility to submeter or separate utilities is the best way as they have the authority to shut the utility off if the tenant fails to pay. However, many times this is the most costly option. 3rd party or private submetering companies can help you out too and many times these will be more cost effective. We could help out on the water side only as we do not do electric or gas (as of today). There is no need to separate sewer as both private submetering companies as well as the local municipality will use the water usage to determine what went down the drain. Or in other words there is no need to add a meter on the sewer.

Blair Ross Jr · Answer

Thank you for replying, Mark

Mark F. · Answer

I've separated out electricity but not water (never heard of sewer being separated) and I've always had separate gas meters on my properties but have separated the heating system on one. You would contact an electrician plus the power company to separate electricity. Water you could have a plumber do it or do it yourself if you do the sub-meter route. I would have a plumber do the gas if you have that in your area.

The heating system, while straightforward, wasn't cheap for my 3 unit and will have a longer payback period. I don't remember exactly but it was around $10k total for labor and the 2 new boilers. I got a deal on labor as I know the contractor personally and helped out a bit with the project. Worth it still as now I don't have gas bills to contend with for heat which I would say was around $1k a year. I know that is a long pay back period but don't plan on selling anytime soon, plus you never know what nat gas prices will do. I believe it'll help with eventual resale of the property as well. The water heaters were already separated.

It cost me $8500 in my HCOL to get the electric separated on a 3 unit. This was labor and parts and I know the electrician personally so it would have cost more going through someone else. For that I also had to deal with the power company. The electrician got the 4 gang meter pan installed and went through all the fuses and whatnot to divvy out and installed separate panels for each unit. The power company supplied and installed the new meters (at no charge, at least not yet) and verified all the work around the 4 gang meter pan was done up to their standards. I also had to get it approved by the city which was pretty easy.

This was a no-brainer and has a payback of about 3 or so years (probably less with how my tenants use the AC in the summer) plus again, it'll help sell the property down the road.

I really wanted to separate the water as I found a few good sub-meter companies but the water lines go every which way and make it impossible to attach a meter to one. In theory I could attach one to each water heater since they are separated out, but I'm not sure if it's worth the hassle.

Blair Ross Jr · Answer

Greatly appreciated, thank you

Jake Baker · Answer

@Blair Ross Jr

Electric/Gas: Contact the utility provider to see if separate meters are allowed for your property. You'll likely need an electrician or plumber to install separate lines/meters. Costs vary but can range from $1,000 – $3,000 per unit.

Water/Sewer: This is more complex and may require approval from your local water authority. Plumbers can separate lines, but trenching and additional work can drive costs into the $5,000 –$10,000 range. Some areas allow sub-metering instead, which might be cheaper.

I would contact a local contractor or utility company to assess your property and get quotes.

Blair Ross Jr · Answer

Just curious, I'm interested in duplexes. I've seen some separated, which is more appealing to me.

How to separate utilities?

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