For manufactured home communities all over the country, water metering proves to be an ongoing challenge in many respects. Besides the accuracy and efficiency of water metering solutions on the market today, there’s also the question of introducing modern technology into the equation while keeping costs down for both park owners and homeowners.
A new startup, Dune Labs, was founded by Garo Sarkissian and has entered the manufactured housing market with a clamp-on smartmeter, aptly named “Dune,” which markets itself as an IoT solution to measure, analyze, and ultimately make more efficient use of water in manufactured home communities.
Using Dune Labs’ smartmeter solution provides benefits for both park residents and owners/managers. The resident is charged for the exact amount of water used at their property, and the owner/manager is provided with actionable insights and leak alerts that, over time, can result in added monetary savings for both parties.
Those insights and alerts are provided directly from the submeters in real-time to park owners and managers via their property management software, so they can repair leaks and advise residents on water conservation tactics.
“It’s a very owner friendly structure that helps property managers,” Sarkissian said in an interview with the MHInsider.
And with the millions of homes in manufactured home communities, the opportunity for a unique submetering solution like Dune’s seems limitless.
“It’s programmable and flexible enough to help us understand exactly what the water use is. We use all kinds of algorithms, but essentially we’ve programmed this thing to know what is a toilet flush and what is a shower, versus a dishwasher and hand washing,” Sarkissian said. “The granularity we have is really impressive.”
The CEO, who founded without external venture capital funding, added that the meter flags unusual usage that stands out from day-to-day expected patterns from any given home.
“There is a lot of recovery in toilet leaks. You also can tell if someone has an indoor greenhouse, for instance. These usages stand out,” he said.
Of course, entering the manufactured home industry can present its own challenges — but they’re challenges that Sarkissian is eager to face.
“There are so many customers out there, and we have a unique technology,” Sarkissian said. “In this situation it’s not a mindset where we need to get as big as possible as soon as possible. This is something that’s never been done this way, and it’s important to do it right.”
Take, for example, the challenge that comes from entering a state like California, where water often costs more than electricity on a monthly basis. Marketing a submetering solution there takes on a different form based on the demand for water in that market.
Regardless of the market, Dune Labs promises zero or very little capital investment is needed for community owners to get started with the Dune submeter solution. And since Dune clamps onto existing plumbing systems and provides as much accuracy as in-line metering solutions, the cost savings can begin almost immediately after installation.
Dune customers sign a four-year contract, with the monthly cost at around $11 a month, which Sarkissian notes is usually made up by the amount of water saved with Dune’s help.
Since the beginning, customers have received Dune positively.
“The overall impact has been great,” Cristian Sosa, managing director of Cooper Cardinal, said. “The water usage of all our tenants has gone down since being installed, which results in lower water and sewer bills for us.”
The future for Dune in the manufactured housing industry seems bright. With an upcoming appearance at The Louisville Show and plans to keep expanding their multi-family operations, communities across the country will have the chance to see Dune for themselves and bring water savings to their park.
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