national multiple family submetering and allocation billing program ...

The second part of the visit required that the team gain access into a sample of dwelling
units to verify the plumbing fixtures. For obvious reasons of privacy and required notification,
the team was typically only allowed access into vacant units. The initial goal was to visit about
10% of the total units on the property. In some cases this was possible, but often there were not
enough vacant units available to visit, in which case the auditor would simply visit as many units
as was possible.
During each unit visit, the auditor tested and recorded the flow rates of every faucet and
showerhead in the dwelling unit using a Niagara flow bag. Then each toilet was carefully
inspected to determine if it was a rated ultra low-flow (ULF) toilet. Some low-flow toilets have
“1.6 gpf” stamped right on the porcelain, but many do not. For the remaining toilets, the toilet
lid was removed and the date stamp (found either on the inside of the lid or inside on the side of
the tank) was noted. Any toilet with a date of 1994 or later was deemed a low flow toilet. The
make and model of the toilet was also recorded. The site visit team also noted any leaks in the
unit (i.e. leaky shower diverter, leaky toilet flapper, dripping faucet, etc). Next, the team noted
whether or not the unit came with clothes washer hook-ups. If the unit came with a clothes
washer, the make and model was noted. If the property had any central laundry facilities, these
were also visited, and the appropriate information was recorded on the site visit protocol. Figure
3.3 illustrates some of the tasks performed during the random unit site visits.
Figure 3.3 From left to right: a site auditor testing the faucet flow rate, inspecting the toilet
lid for a date stamp, and testing the shower flow rate.
The original goal was to visit 80 properties and have 40 matched pairs (20 submetered
and 20 RUBS) for analysis. A total of 77 site visits were completed and 64 of these were usable
matched on.
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