Redistributing shared utilities

[Joe Cicero]

Hi all,

I bought a 3-unit in Upstate NY back in Oct. I have battled with the local utility company every month since, as they had wrongly assigned meters and tenant payments have been sitting in limbo. This has been especially frustrating as I live across the country.

After 6 months of suffering, I finally got clarity on how meters should be assigned: 

• Entire house has a shared gas meter
• Unit One (1 BR) and Unit Two (1 BR) each has its own electric meter
• Unit Three (2 BR) shares an electric meter with the basement, which only the tenants in Unit One & Two have access to for laundry (Unit Three has in-unit laundry); apparently this meter also powers the fan for the furnace and the hot water heater

I'm seeking advice on how to fairly charge Unit Three for electric usage. I am familiar with RUBS and plan to install a solution, but leases don't expire until Oct. Anything I can do in the meantime? Unit 3's lease explicitly states that they are responsible for electricity. 

Thanks in advance!

Joe