Electricity meters
OK I know, i must be on one tonight but i feel certain comercial sites are trying to squeeze a few extra drops of blood out of us. I don't mind paying £3 for electricity but it starts to gring when sites start to charge £5 and £6 per night, as i have seen this year. It then really gets up my nose when they start to put us on a meter. I did 3 night at a site in Whitby over the winter period, i declined to pay the £5 per night fee for electricity and ran everything off my 12v leasure battery, even the T.V. and Satellite system. The only thing we could use was my wifes hair dryer. Even this had a plus point. We didn't need to fall out about the damned noise it made.
Anyway, getting back to the point in hand, has anyone any input as to how much these meters charge ?. I know it all depends on how much power you use but i am looking for some constuctive input as to if these meters are fair or not.
Winter charges V Summer charges would be interesting.
Regards
Dave
Comments
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EHU meters are quite common on the continent, ie Germany and Belgium to name but 2. We personally have no need of EHU with a solar panel, so don't always bother taking EHU.
Is it fair? Well, people have a choice and you've said yourself that you managed for 3 nights without EHU. Some might say that having a meter could make users more careful about how much they use, whereas on a flat rate, some people will use anything and
everything, because they've paid for it.As to how much meters charge, I don't know anything about that. I did think there was something about the resale of electricity some years ago which is why the CC stopped offering the choice of whether people wanted EHU or not, but I don't know the finer
points of that.0 -
Is it not fair to pay for what is consumed? Pehaps it would discourage wastage of power.
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Off course it's fair to pay for what you use, the point i am making is are we using what they charge us for. Some sites charge £3 others charge £6 so who is the winner ?. Also in the Wineter months i see sites saying electric heaters are strictly not allowed but these sites are charging top dollar for their electric. They want to charge us for using it but don't actually want us to use it.
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All very well having Meters if charges are fair and known up front. But what about people who have a bona fide medical condition who require medical equipment overnight such as a ventilator.
This could result in discrimination claims!how so?
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What solar panels are you using InaD ?
We have an 80w panel on this MH, same as on the previous one. When we're in France, the only time we use EHU is if we're on an ACSI or Camping Cheque site, where EHU is included. On all other sites we don't bother, have stayed a week on a site without
EHU. Saying that, we don't watch much TV and if I want to use a hair-dryer then I'll use the toiletblock on site for that. We have plenty of gas as well.0 -
Off course it's fair to pay for what you use, the point i am making is are we using what they charge us for. Some sites charge £3 others charge £6 so who is the winner ?. Also in the Wineter months i see sites saying electric heaters are strictly not allowed but these sites are charging top dollar for their electric. They want to charge us for using it but don't actually want us to use it.
If you are not talking about specific metering but a charge over and above using the pitch non EHU. Only you can decide wether it is value for money. For instance if a similar CC site cost £22 pounds a night but I was only paying £18, even after adding on the electric charge, I would be happy.
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I thought they could only charge what they paid for the electricity if it was a metered supply. If the case the system would be fair as you would not be paying over the odds.
Agree, I thought it is illegal in the UK to charge more than the cost of the electricity. The meter would only record the number of units which could then be charged for. However the idea of charging a set amount may well overcome that restriction on the cost of units and saves the expense of installing the meters and administering the system?
In Europe they don't seem to have this rule and the price of units in Austria and Germany seemed extortionate? Plus there's a need to read the meter with the site owners at the start and end which they seem to want to avoid if possible.
I don't mind paying a fair price for the metered units, known in advance but I think this one has been done to a death before?
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Off course it's fair to pay for what you use, the point i am making is are we using what they charge us for. Some sites charge £3 others charge £6 so who is the winner ?
I suppose that depends on what you use, but the same could be said about site fees. Some people only ever usse their own WC and shower, but they are still paying the same site fees as those who use the site's WCs and showers all the time.
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Metered electricity can only be resold at the same price as it is bought for by the site operator. Infrastructure/maintenance costs cannot be added to the unit price. An all inclusive pitch fee (as per CC) does not have to state how much of that fee is for
electricity. A fee for use of the EHU bollard/service pitch (as per C&CC) does not have to reflect the actual cost of electricity used.0 -
All very well having Meters if charges are fair and known up front. But what about people who have a bona fide medical condition who require medical equipment overnight such as a ventilator.
This could result in discrimination claims!how so?
Write your comments here...if you have a need for extra electricity due to disability the you are discriminating due to disability!
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All very well having Meters if charges are fair and known up front. But what about people who have a bona fide medical condition who require medical equipment overnight such as a ventilator.
This could result in discrimination claims!how so?
Write your comments here...if you have a need for extra electricity due to disability the you are discriminating due to disability!
That argument is so illogical it's difficult to find a logical answer to it
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All very well having Meters if charges are fair and known up front. But what about people who have a bona fide medical condition who require medical equipment overnight such as a ventilator.
This could result in discrimination claims!how so?
Write your comments here...if you have a need for extra electricity due to disability the you are discriminating due to disability!
Sorry, I can't work that out. That means if I need extra electricity for an awning heater
because I like to sit out late at night I could claim discrimination. 
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legally unless the site owners are a verified and certified supplier of electricity they cannot charge more per unit than they are paying! however they can charge a pitch fee that includes electric as long as the electric is not a seperateley billed item.
Hence the clubs all inclusive pitch fee charge and all electric pitches. however there is no regulation as to the amperage supplied to each pitch.0 -
Metered electricity can only be resold at the same price as it is bought for by the site operator. Infrastructure/maintenance costs cannot be added to the unit price. An all inclusive pitch fee (as per CC) does not have to state how much of that fee is for
electricity. A fee for use of the EHU bollard/service pitch (as per C&CC) does not have to reflect the actual cost of electricity used.agreed, is this what the OP meant?
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How about Club sites set up a help yourself bar - drink all you want for an all inclusive site pitch fee ? It would be madness. So is help yourself, use all you want electricity.
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Do you mean like an all you can eat fixed price buffet. Plenty of Chinese go in for that
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Metered electricity can only be resold at the same price as it is bought for by the site operator. Infrastructure/maintenance costs cannot be added to the unit price. An all inclusive pitch fee (as per CC) does not have to state how much of that fee is for
electricity. A fee for use of the EHU bollard/service pitch (as per C&CC) does not have to reflect the actual cost of electricity used.agreed, is this what the OP meant?
Possibly, Corners, although he seems to cover several points.
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If electricity is metered then the site cannot charge more than the unit cost but the cost of the meter will be in the site fee. Not sure about a flat fee for electricity being legal but if you are offered this it is up to you to decide if you feel it is
for you.0 -
How about Club sites set up a help yourself bar - drink all you want for an all inclusive site pitch fee ? It would be madness. So is help yourself, use all you want electricity.
well many resterants, bars do that and seem to manage?
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All very well having Meters if charges are fair and known up front. But what about people who have a bona fide medical condition who require medical equipment overnight such as a ventilator.
This could result in discrimination claims!how so?
Write your comments here...if you have a need for extra electricity due to disability the you are discriminating due to disability!
...So what would be diferent than when at home
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If electricity is metered then the site cannot charge more than the unit cost but the cost of the meter will be in the site fee. Not sure about a flat fee for electricity being legal but if you are offered this it is up to you to decide if you feel it is
for you.A flat fee for use of the hook up facility is quite legal.
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a flat fee is more useful to the club
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Possibly the predictive text, but a spare "l" seems to have crept into the second word there.
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We stayed at a private site near Whitby a couple of years ago, there was a choice of prepaid electric fees in the site pitches or metered electric difference in fees was £3 per night, when we booked only the metered pitches were available cost us about £3
per day in electric only downside was you had make sure you had enough electric on the card to last the night as the shop didnt open until 9am0 -
Off course it's fair to pay for what you use, the point i am making is are we using what they charge us for. Some sites charge £3 others charge £6 so who is the winner ?
I suppose that depends on what you use, but the same could be said about site fees. Some people only ever usse their own WC and shower, but they are still paying the same site fees as those who use the site's WCs and showers all the time.
Write your comments here...and where does the water come from to shower in or the waste go to? It makes no difference to a site if you use the block or your own facilities the black has to be maintained and water useage is about the same maybe slightly less.
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