Best Utilities Billing / RUBS Software

What utility billing and RUBS software does

Utility billing platforms recover the cost of water, sewer, gas, electricity, trash and other services from residents, either through submeters that measure each unit or through a ratio utility billing system (RUBS) that allocates the master bill by unit size, occupancy or another formula. The vendors in this category combine software, meter hardware, bill processing and resident-facing statements, and most also offer utility expense management: paying and auditing the property's own utility invoices and tracking consumption for ESG reporting.

Who should buy one

Owners paying utilities out of operating expenses without recovery, or recovering through flat fees, leave money on the table and have no leverage on consumption. Submetering is the most defensible option where it is allowed and the building can be metered economically; RUBS is the fallback for buildings where metering is impractical. Both are regulated, and the rules differ by state and by utility.

How to choose

1. Recovery method and compliance. Confirm the vendor supports your state's rules on submetering, RUBS allocation formulas, fee caps and required disclosures, and that lease language is provided.
2. Metering hardware. For submetering, ask about meter brands, wireless reading, leak detection, installation and ongoing maintenance.
3. Billing accuracy and resident support. Statement clarity, dispute handling and a resident call center; utility billing disputes are a top source of negative reviews.
4. PMS integration. Charges should post to the resident ledger in your PMS automatically, with move-in and move-out proration handled.
5. Expense management. Invoice processing, late-fee avoidance, rate audits and consumption dashboards for the property's own bills.
6. Pricing. Per unit per month or per bill fees, sometimes charged to residents as a service fee where permitted; meter installation is a capital cost.

Vendors listed in this category

Conservice describes itself as the largest utility management and billing company in the United States. AMS Billing, Studebaker Submetering, Guardian Water & Power, Automated Utility Billing and MULTIBILLING are established utility billing and submetering providers; Anchor Utility (Banyan Utility) focuses on utility expense management and billing; Wyse Meter Solutions serves Canada. Livable offers a data-driven utility billing platform aimed at saving money and resources. EKM Metering supplies electricity, water and gas meters with remote reading; Kaptech Water Submetering pairs Badger meters with leak detection software; Dune Labs provides IoT water submetering. Billee Technologies is a newer SaaS platform for utility billing automation, and GOGETit manages utility-style services such as solar, Wi-Fi and EV charging.

Implementation notes

Start with a utility audit: what the property pays per utility, what is recovered today, and what the local rules permit. Choose submetering where the building allows it and the payback is under a few years; use RUBS elsewhere. Communicate changes to residents well before the first bill, and align lease renewals with the new program.

Frequently asked questions

What is RUBS? A ratio utility billing system allocates a property's master utility bill to residents by a formula such as unit size or occupant count, used where individual metering is not practical.

Is submetering better than RUBS? Submetering bills actual usage, which is fairer and encourages conservation, but requires hardware. RUBS has no hardware cost but is less precise and more restricted in some states.

Can utility billing post to my PMS? The major providers integrate with Yardi, RealPage, Entrata, ResMan and others; check each profile's Integrations section.

How much can utility billing recover? It depends on utility costs, occupancy and local rules; vendors can model recovery from your actual bills before you commit.

What does utility billing cost? Typically a per-unit or per-bill monthly fee, with meter installation as a separate capital cost; request pricing on the vendor profiles.