In a word, no. This practice of private billing of electrical consumption is known as sub-metering and is specifically prohibited by all of the utility companies serving the Hudson Valley unless permission is received by the NY State Public Utility Commission.

Even if the intent is to not charge tenants a markup on their electric usage, sub-metering is still prohibited. Owners of multi-tenant buildings that would like to directly bill their tenants for electric usage must hire a licensed electrician to construct separate electric services for each tenant’s space, additionally making sure that all building wiring is correctly separated between each unit. The utility company would then install separate meters and would be responsible for billing the tenants for their usage.

If any common use electrical equipment is installed on a tenant’s meter, then the landlord must pay the entire electric bill for that unit. Not doing so is a violation of New York’s shared meter law and he or she may be reported to the utility by the tenant if shared electric use is suspected.