Back to blog
H2O Degree Simplifies Submetering in 30-acre Apartment Complex Using Just 1 MachineQ Gateway
Smart Buildings

H2O Degree Simplifies Submetering in 30-acre Apartment Complex Using Just 1 MachineQ Gateway

The MachineQ team visited H2O Degree’s submetering deployment at a large apartment complex, studying the placement of sensors and the LoRaWAN coverage provided by a singular MachineQ gateway.

MachineQ met with its client, H2O Degree, at one of their deployments in Yardley, PA to see the installed LoRaWAN® network in action as well as the placement of sensors throughout the location. The property is a garden style apartment complex with a Clubhouse and 11 residential buildings with units ranging from 1–3 bedrooms.

H2O provides LoRa®-based submetering, which allows the property owner/operator to be able to charge tenants for actual water use. Without it, a property manager either absorbs the entire water bill or must allocate costs based on bedroom count, not actual usage to tenants. With the installation of H2O’s pulse counter, a landlord can easily and accurately measure water billing per unit.

Don Millstein, H2O Degree President, shows the MachineQ team the LoRa 2-channel Pulse Counter

H2O is installing meters and pulse counters in phases across the property. The MachineQ team is always impressed to see their network in use and the range it covers. H2O installed one MachineQ indoor gateway inside an IT closet in the property’s Main Clubhouse, located centrally on the property. A 3-foot external antenna was added, also located in the closet, to improve range. This gateway configuration covered the 30-acre property with strong signal, and it could likely cover a property over double its size.

The MachineQ 8-channel indoor gateway is housed in an H2O Degree case within a utility closet in the apartment complex’s centralized leasing office.

H2O Degree’s business consists of 40% new construction where they provide a new meter and a two channel LoRaWAN pulse counter. The other 60% of the business is comprised of retrofits. In the retrofit scenario, the main driver, 95% of the time, is for building owners to bill tenants accurately and directly. Billing drives the sale for most landlords; leak detection is a nice extra. H2O sells on a compelling ROI – the payback is often under 18 months!

We were excited to find out that H2O is developing a remote water shutoff valve using LoRaWAN and the MachineQ network. This will provide additional applications in various commercial buildings. It’s always beneficial to see our network and management platform in action at a long-standing, successful deployment. H2O has been a great MachineQ partner with an exciting LoRaWAN roadmap ahead. We are excited to continue to support their growth in buildings across the US.

Enjoyed this read?

Stay up to date with the latest IoT insights sent straight to your inbox!

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.