CL Site Owners' Website
Comments
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A tiered system on CLs which is from comments on here is for CLs with EHU and being independent businesses as has been pointed out, when it was suggested a smart card system could be used ia IMHO the only other way of keeping electricity charges down is to charge more for pitches in winter ,with growth of the power hungry LVs
As is said nothing is it seems unsurmountable ,before EHU was included in pitch fees on club sites,although some will not agree ,it was quite a common practice for members to "do not need EHU" but still use it if site staff not around
January last year on a site we were on i was advised that members had been utilising "spare? EHUs to supplement the power supply to their LVs for add heating in their awnings
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It's actually on my bucket list
Seriously Mrs C is retiring at the end of the summer term so it is highly likely.
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I can let you have some lovely ones with great cycling opportunities!
(on a different thread, sorry Ted)
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David, good points. Depending on how old the existing EHU bollards are, the cost of adding meters can now be minimal. More modern bollards use the DIN rail system and meters are fairly easily and cheaply added to these.
As you are not allowed to resell electricity under OFGEM regulations, owners can only charge the cost price per unit, so they are not making any margin or mark-up.
Whilst some vans might use only £2 or £3 per day, others use over £8 per day, so it seems fairer to charge based on usage. However this will depend on whether an owner a) can fit meters and b) has the time to check them and calculate the usage.
As a result, some owners have taken the decision to uplift winter pitch pricing by an amount to cover their increased costs. Others (like us) have installed meters.
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I don't understand apart from Scotland why anyone would want to stop to empty & refill their water
Surely if you are touring you empty before you leave site one then fill up when you arrive at site two
touring should and can often include one night stops to enable you to cover a larger area in your tour, I think many sites are going to end up over pricing and although the COVID situation seems to be making the staycation more popular hopefully it will eventually return to some normality and lots of the customers will revert to European travel. Sites that have raised prices during the pandemic to cash in on the demand may find themselves without customers
I find it strange that most people want the system to suit their style of travel why not be more flexible and understand we are not all the same and some people want to do things different to what you deem as the right way
If COVID teaches us anything it should be to be more understanding and tolerant to our neighbours
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Interesting and a serious question - you say minimal but what is the total cost of installing a meter? What is the cost of the unit itself and the cost of an electrician to do the work? Are there any ongoing costs, like yearly safety inspections and to ensure their reading are correct?
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b) has the time to check them and calculate the usage.
That is why I suggested it might be better to have a standard. This would allow a common smart card to be used on what is after all a Club network. With such a system no owner would need to read meters.
peedee
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what is after all a Club network.
Really since when?
I thought you have in the past sometimes been against club site rules and procedures yet here you want CL to be more integrated with the club?
Are you not pushing your fondness for metered EHU onto CL owners? and anyway OT I think?
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I suspect CL owners would rather find their own solutions than be forced to follow a CAMC enforced system.
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I don't understand apart from Scotland why anyone would want to stop to empty & refill their water
Surely if you are touring you empty before you leave site one then fill up when you arrive at site two
Some don't use sites except when they need services.
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But there does not make them part of the club network in any way.
Although I don't understand it you don't need to apologise, just don't force it on others or CL owners.
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My point exactly, yes.
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Sorry pd, like you, if metering is available, then it might be a fairer system for the likes of us, with a small outfit, minimal electric usage and off pitch for most of day. But going down the “standard” meter is losing the CL owner independent ethos.
I never consider Club Sites and CLs in the same way. And long may it stay that way.
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But going down the “standard” meter is losing the CL owner independent ethos.
I did say "owners could chose to follow or not". A standard would make it easier for customers who would not have to mess about with a multidtude of different system. Even meters that accepted credit or debit cards would be good better than lots of different systems of payment.
peedee
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I agree. We know it’s driving up Club Site prices, because the Club instigated additional price rises on Sites two years running, having under estimated their costs last year and year before. So I suspect same is happening on CLs.
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DIN rail digital meters can be had for around £20 each. They are simple enough for an electrician to install pretty quickly. I'd think they could do 5 in under an hour. If this was combined with their electrical test inspection visit (mandatory for all CLs) then there would be no additional call-out charge. My estimate therefore would be supply & fit @ around £150-£180.
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Ok thank you
Certainly do-able on a CL. So I assume if installed the fees for the nightly stay would come down.
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That would be my concern about metering, having a multitude of systems and payment methods. It would make a lot of sense to have a common system, which system would obviously be made by the CL owners. Having some experience of use metering in Europe, mainly Germany, it can be inconvenient if you have to rely on the CL owner to take arrival and departure meter readings. An automated CC or Charged Card payment method would be an advantage to both CL owner and customer. Be interesting to know how Ted arranges his meter charging?
David
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Thanks, very intersting, if you had to wire in a new post because metering was not possible using an older post, I guess that would be considerably more expensive. A few years ago I think there was a quote given of about £1000 for five pitches ?
peedee
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so you're saying that with metering you wouldn't expect the current pitch fee to come down? That is totally dishonest in my view as the current pitch fee includes some element of the electricity costs.
In which case then you really can't complain about EHU inclusive costs if you're prepared for that to happen. And you won't complain when the club does that then?
It would certainly benefit the owner as more profit, can't see how how it would benefit a customer at all? If I were a long time user of a CL and noticed no reduction after metering why should I continue to use it?
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