Patent ID: 8428891

Claim:
A method for apportioning usage of a utility in a multi-unit building, the method comprising: (a) measuring total usage of the utility by the multi-unit building using a meter unit to produce a total usage measurement; (b) positioning at least one sensor unit in each of a plurality of single units of the multi-unit building; (c) monitoring usage of the utility by each of the plurality of the single units using the sensor units to produce monitoring data; (d) receiving the total usage measurement and the monitoring data at a processor unit; (e) correlating the total usage measurement and the monitoring data using the processor unit to generate correlated data; and (f) apportioning the total usage measurement to the plurality of single units using the processor unit based on the correlated data; wherein monitoring usage of the utility by the single unit comprises: (i) determining a start time for usage of the utility; and (ii) determining a stop time for usage of the utility; and wherein apportioning the total usage measurement to the plurality of single units comprises: (i) if the start and stop times of a particular single unit are unique to the particular single unit, assigning the total usage measurement to the particular single unit; (ii) if the time period between start and stops times for at least two single units overlap, but are not identical, assigning a portion of the total usage measurement to each of the at least two single units based on the difference in the total usage measurement between one of the start times and the stop times; and (iii) if the start and stop times of at least two single units are identical, assigning a portion of the total usage measurement to each of the at least two single units based on historic usage of the utility by each of the at least two single units.