Should the Club put it's foot down?
Comments
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even if the project were costed for the 200 odd sites (even better, cheaper for economies of scale) the coffers are refilled with 200 odd times the income
how? you have metered electricity. OK you pay for what you use but the club can not charge you more than that. So it can never get back what ever it cost to install those meter, and a way of getting the readings to the office.
so again how?
and not really an improvement is it? how will it improve my stay?
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well, Alan, there wont be support here, will there?
folk are used to plugging in and using electric without much thought 'as they've paid for it'...in advance
but, as you and others have said, metering may not be liked but it does acheive the desired effect, customers think a bit more about their usage and this is the thrust of the OP, keeping costs down.
with vans being filled with ever more electrical gadgets a vanners demand for a food leccy supply goes up, but can we sustain this?
the club even thinks that a day or two at the NEC car park customers 'need' an electric supply, albeit at a vast cost which then translates into £40 a night parking.
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+1
As always those who use club the least want the greatest changes. Their way is the correct way, those currently happy with the way things are done, and who use club sites rather more, are what? misguided?
And with their proposed changes they probably wouldn't use club sites any more than they do.
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I can see the advantage perhaps to small 5 or10 pitch sites, In the event of a very harsh winter they have a good idea that their income will not be hit by an unusually heavy seasonal demand. The CC is however better situated to take account of peaks and troughs over a longer time period.
I can't see many larger sites believing such a move is necessary and may even consider that it may make them less attractive than their competitor.
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it does acheive the desired effect
wow what a statement, how do you know this for everyone, one two people write on here that it does and suddenly you write it does achieve the desired effect
and this is the thrust of the OP, keeping costs down
Really, have you read the OP's post. I though it was about saving resources and the planet nothing about keeping costs down.
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thank you David
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the club even thinks that a day or two at the NEC car park customers 'need' an electric supply, albeit at a vast cost which then translates into £40 a night parking.
What a user of such a site wants and what they need may not be the same BB? Many suppliers try and cater for what the majority of customers want in order to attract them or at least to fill available space.
I agree that £40 a night might seem high but I read that there are plenty of takers. I would not be one even if it were free a I have no interest in using such a site. Some obviously do. There are already choices in the modes of camping. I think that some sing the praises of C&CC temporary holiday sites which are great if that is what they want. I don't but I am happy that they are available for those that want them.
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Really, have you read the OP's post. I though it was about saving resources and the planet nothing about keeping costs down.
I think the post has a 2 pronged attack
a.it's good that over the last few years the Club has been moving towards being more aware of the needs of our planet and the care of it's environment.
b.And the rest of us can just shut up, stop whinge-ing on, and pay for their electricity wastage in our site fees.
surely b. infers that if we did not waste so much money on electricity by heating our awnings, then site fees might not be so high ?
not an avid reader of the clubs annual report but i am sure i recall somewhere that the cost of providing electricity to sites has increased again and you dont have to be an accountant to work out that this will surely lead to an increase in pitch fees. As much as i dislike meters in my opinion it does focus your mind on how much you use, a site i use in Spain has metered electricity, you get 7 kw per day as part of pitch fee averaged out over your stay, anything over 7kw you pay for, i think this would be an excellent model for the club to adopt, caravans/mh's are now chock full of electrical gadgets even down to beds that are raised and lowered and almost every unit now has a television, i dont have a telly but i do sometimes sit in my awning with a small heater on playing scrabble.
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We must stay on the wrong sort of sites in France, because we have yet to stay on one where the electricity is metred . Charged for as a separate item yes, metered no. On this last trip of 17 sites in France, 3 had no power and the rest were either inclusive in the price, all Aires, or an additional charge all standard campsites.
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i didnt write the op, but its obvious the thought behind 'banning awaning heaters' is to try and keep overall costs down by removing wasted energy.
after the initial forray of posts, other posters (perhaps with a wider experience of all types of site than yourself) have related their experiences where different approaches (including metering and lower amp supplies) have i fluence their usage....downwards.
drawing on those experiences, wherever they maybe, has little to do with how many club sites one visits, it merely shows that folk are happy to compare those experiences to their own club....and, yes, its as much my/their club as it is yours, im afraid.
i agree the reselling regs dont allow profiteering (a good thing) but its not there to prevent the sensible use/management of resources.
perhaps youre happy to see usage continue to rise (after all you've paid for it) and that any attempt to move towards an overall reduction in club electricity usage is 'impacting your holiday'.
perhaps you'd better ask the warden to take those 'please turn the lights off' notices?
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this is true, have only really motored down thru France to get to Spain, i think you have to recognise also that a lot of sites in Spain cater for long stays over the winter months e.g. 2 - 3 months so by definition they are not touring/holiday sites but peoples homes in the sun for the duration so i think they are managed differently. With this in mind maybe metering in the UK is not required and i guess for those who only holiday in a caravan/mh for maybe 2 months of the year having to pay for electricity would not be an issue, but if we are to avoid ridiculously high pitch fees going forward, something needs to give.
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We have been on at least two sites in Spain where we had a daily allowance before paying for any extra usage
We have also used a CL here with a 'coin in the slot meter' which does focus the mind. I can definitely say it reduced our usage and in fact our costs.
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as mentioned upthread, an amount (say 10%) of pitches on each site being converted to allow the non use/payment of the EHU supply would reduce the overall cost without 'impacting the holiday enjoyment' of those that wanted it.
funnily, i guess those that took up this option would still enjoy their holiday just as much, would help keep overall costs down and be a few quids in
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Let's concentrate on good environmental practice.
Provided the Club is buying its electricity from renewable sources (solar, wind and hydro) and supplementing that with solar panels on the ablutions block, the tractor shed and the side of the dog walk, it would seem to be good environmental sense to heat our caravans, motorhomes (and even awnings) that way with electricity instead of the alternative non renewable fossil fuel in a gas bottle.
Clean, green electricity doesn't emit harmful gases and nasty particles into the atmosphere either. So stick to electric heating .
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works in Spain, at any time you can go to reception and they will give you a print out of exactly how much power you have used thus far and then when you check out you pay if you are over the specified limit, all computerised, pitch fees in the region of €14 per night including use of swimming pool, cant be many sites in the UK giving such good value for money, yes there would be an initial investment but the EHU etc is already in situ only involves adding a computer link and some software, not rocket science, and with the advent of EV's plugging into EHU's something needs to be done and quickly.
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Surely that second sentence is an admission that, without metering, you would use electricity profligately? I'm not convinced by this argument that having to pay separately for electricity would have much effect on most users. We would probably benefit - we use little in the way of heating, cook mostly on gas and have never heated an awning. A little self restraint is all that's needed.
I have agreed in the past, though, that having some pitches with the option of non EHU would be helpful for those who can do without.
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Ask any CL owner just how profligate members are with electrical usage in Winter, and you soon realise just how much impact this has on pricing. If it affects small sites, it will be the same on large sites.
We were members long before hook ups were standard on all sites and in all areas of sites. Hence we have first hand knowledge of some of the impact of increased electrical usage. It’s progress, makes touring life so much easier and nicer, and nowadays outfits are designed primarily with hook up usage as the norm. But some folks seem to have no idea of the impact that usage can have, both in terms of pricing, and environmental issues directly and indirectly.
You cannot equate setting up a single site v a Club Site because of the variables. What the Club might gain in negotiating electrical costs is probably negated by other costs elsewhere, not least all the requirements at EG. A private site won’t have these. It’s also fairly reasonable to assume that certain sites offset other sites in terms of income support, but only the Club will know what the targets are for each.
If you restrict something (in this case electrical consumption via the bollard) you can control costs. But individuals can choose how to use their restricted allowance. Some will want to cook with it, some will want to be entertained, some will want to keep warm. All perfectly do-able, just not all at the same time. It’s the underlying principle of a Smart Meter and those thermostatic valves on radiators. The flaw is that they rely upon us using them, turning down or off rooms not in use. Some do, some don’t. Fine if you can afford to pay the bills, but becoming less acceptable from a climate legacy point of view. Think of the grandchildren............
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Provided the Club is buying its electricity from renewable sources (solar, wind and hydro) and supplementing that with solar panels on the ablutions block, the tractor shed and the side of the dog walk,
dont use club sites much but have not seen any evidence of this ?
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The Club doesn’t build/design sites primarily from new, tends to take on sites already there. So putting in solar/wind/ ground source will involve higher costs than designing in from new. If housing companies building today’s dog kennels aren’t required to commit to such principles, I doubt the Club will lead.
It’s a business as well, wanting to supply a commodity to its fan club at a price the fans will tolerate. This again might impact on any electrical supply deal. I suspect if the membership was asked to vote on cheaper electricity v environmentally responsible electricity the vote would be live now and sod the environment! (You have to be careful of votes, what you think might happen isn’t sometimes what you get🤷♀️)
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The Club has a duty of care. Someone tripping in the dark is highly likely given the locations of some sites and the user demography, it’s the lesser of two weevils.
(Off topic, but interesting....we are huge fans of Bolton Abbey. Now closes much earlier than it used to in year. Not getting the usage required, but interestingly, icy paths, potential (or actual) claims cited?)
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perhaps youre happy to see usage continue to rise (after all you've paid for it)
I am neither happy nor unhappy, it simply happens, the club sets its prices and I'll pay it. Do you worry when staying a hotel that its usage continues to rise?
I really can't see any connection at all between see usage continue to rise and I've paid for it, a bit nonsensical really.
... that any attempt to move towards an overall reduction in club electricity usage is 'impacting your holiday'
Again no connection at all.
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