Is EHU metering a good investment?

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  • Hja
    Hja Club Member Posts: 851 ✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #92

    Somewhere, on this forum maybe, I have seen a comment of commercial prices being in excess of £1 a unit.

  • Hja
    Hja Club Member Posts: 851 ✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #93

    I guess energy consumption is going to depend on time of year. If vans are needing heating and electric options are used, then that could increase usage considerably.

  • Unknown
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    edited November 2022 #94
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  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,138 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #95

    Maybe businesses negotiate individual contracts with energy suppliers so there is no standard rate. 

  • Unknown
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    edited November 2022 #96
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  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,138 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #97

    The info isn’t that hard to find.

    https://www.businesselectricityprices.org.uk/cost-per-kwh/

     

  • Unknown
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    edited November 2022 #98
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  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,138 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #99

    Who knows? Those prices are averages so some, of course, will be higher. Make of it what you will but I doubt it’s got any bearing on CAMC lekky prices which is the issue under discussion here.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited November 2022 #100

    Corners wrote "The booking system doesn't work at all? "

    That's not what I said. I said "it doesn't work properly"  There is a world of difference.

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,426 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #101

    I know what you said, but I'm asking you a question? Hence the question mark? Have you tried or made any bookings? Or in what way does it not work for you?

    But no other replies to my post?

  • GEandGJE
    GEandGJE Club Member Posts: 507 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #102

    All

    Can we keep this on the topic of EHU metering and not another Booking System bashing or it will just get taken down and we will lose a good debate thread.

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,426 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #103

    Yes sorry.

    And I agree any references to the cost of the booking system in relation to installing meters as well.

  • Unknown
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    edited November 2022 #104
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  • Amesford
    Amesford Club Member Posts: 685 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #105

    Should be fun if they do introduce it looking at the mess, they made of the new booking system 

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited November 2022 #106

    I've regularly use a metering system that allows the reading on the pitch and is also mirrored in the site office system. 

    this should give customers a fair idea of their ongoing usage and avoid too many shocks.

    It's also easy to see how you're doing where sites give a daily inclusive amount.

    settling the bill is dead easy, a wander to the office just prior to leaving and tap your card. You normally get a couple of hours 'grace' with the supply. 

    agreed it might be even simpler to be able to do it on an app provided it can be done within a reasonable time of the customer disconnecting. This would get over any issues with office staffing levels.

    these things might need a bit of tech to drive them but they don't need to have over complicated processes from the customer end.

    After all isn't the idea of all this to match fees to usage and to make doing this as easy as possible?

    if we can't trust members to make use of a system that's based on honesty, then we need a watertight system but one that's simple to use and manage.

  • peedee
    peedee Club Member Posts: 9,387 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #107

    Is metering a good investment?  Some sites obviously think so and it is thought more and more sites are considering the option.  The Club obviously has thought otherwise for the past 20 years but does acknowledge that it would b be fairer.  Not only would it be a fairer way to charge it would also help them control their pitch costs because it would pass the uncertainty of the volatility of energy costs directly onto the customer.

    The costs of metering all of the Clubs pitches of £5 million is rather a wild guess. I think the order of £3 million is more accurate given that the Club has of the order of 15,800 pitches and the British Holiday & Home Parks Association put the cost at £200 per pitch some years ago. Costs of meters have fallen since, but labour costs have probably risen so I would estimate it remains close to the £200 mark and probably cheaper with the buying clout the Club would have for so many pitches. I have no idea why the OP thinks there would be any ground works to carry out although it may be necessary to fit new bollards if the meters could not be installed in the old ones. What ever the cost the Club can recover this over the life of the meters which, if approved ones, are guaranteed accurate for 20 years. £200 spread over 20 years would result in a very small increase in per pitch cost.  

    It would be nice to know more about the Club’s planned trial. I suspect the Clubs preferred supplier would be CPES and their >RFID card reader meters<, a tried and tested technology rather than anything too fancy which could be standard across the site network. There could be many ways of installing these, for instance just a few pitches at a time without closing the whole site, during site refurbishment or closure during the off season.

    peedee

     
  • Navigateur
    Navigateur Club Member Posts: 3,880 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #108

    There could be many ways of installing these, for instance just a few pitches at a time without closing the whole site, during site refurbishment or closure during the off season.

    Or combined with the annual testing of the bollard outlets.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited November 2022 #109

    I understand the "trial" that is to be carried out on a couple of sites may be via a prepaid card but if and it seems now quite urgent? It will be via an app on smart phones if rolled out on sites that have enough time left on the leases. or on the few sites actually owned by this club

    As the CPES electricians advised it is not that simple to make a site suitable to have meters fitted 

  • Oscarmax
    Oscarmax Club Member Posts: 257 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #110

    I have an Octopus Electroverse App and card simple insert your card on the EV charger, it then takes payment from your electric account, it is open to non-Octopus Energy accounts, not sure how they collect payment.

    I also have an EVCharge card you preload your card online, insert your card at the end of your stay re-insert your card to stop, it takes care of all the varying charging rates, it could not be simpler even for a numpty like me.

    Surely there is or could be design a suitable bollard?

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,426 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #111

    Perhaps investment is the wrong word. An investment to me anyway is using some money or perhaps something else like time to get something back, usually more money or some advantage? Or some positive return anyway?

    What return would the club get from 'investing' the £3m plus? 

    Firstly it would have to find the money either through loans which it would have to pay back with money from where? It can't make any from the use of these meters?

    Or use its reserves in which case new sites, refurbishment that might actually bring in money or stop a loss to other providers won't get done?

    Either way money has to found that can't be recouped apart from higher pitch prices perhaps? I don't know?

    How about someone starting a fund from donations from members? That would really show what support there is? Or what about a club style tourist tax for those staying on club sites? Fair as it won't affect those who are club members but don't use club sites , or maybe just an increase in the membership fee, after their are posters who say they want metering yet they're the ones who say they don't use club sites so again that will show the real level of support. Some of these are tongue in cheek or maybe not.

    There if course the is 'green' return but again would metering really have that much effect, not for me I'll pay to enjoy my time away but won't speak for others.

    The non EHU option would work would the club want that? It's been said before that the club might be making money by the current way (pun intended) quite legally by the all inclusive price.

    The club will decide hopefully based on some financial basis, no doubt some will post about the club wouldn't know how to do that and yes perhaps, but a lot of people still keep booking sites.

  • peedee
    peedee Club Member Posts: 9,387 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #112

    As the CPES electricians advised it is not that simple to make a site suitable to have meters fitted 

    What do they see as not that simple?

    peedee

     
  • Oscarmax
    Oscarmax Club Member Posts: 257 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #113

    Found this on Caravan Park Electrical Service Ltd site, it looks identical to the bollards on the CMC site.

    Europa 2-Way Alpha RFID metered bollard

  • peedee
    peedee Club Member Posts: 9,387 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #114

    What return would the club get from 'investing' the £3m plus? 

    Is not a fairer system and better control of pitch costs  an advantage?

    Firstly it would have to find the money either through loans which it would have to pay back with money from where?

    The Club is cash rich and does not need loans, it is planning on investing £12 million next year and £16 million in 2024 on the sites network.  Hopefully some of that will be on metering.

    peedee

     

     
  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited November 2022 #115

    Two obvious benefits....

    one, as PD mentions, the club has control over the changing/rising costs of its pitch power budget...these costs are borne by the users.

    two, those above costs are borne proportionally by those users...you use more, you pay more.

     

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited November 2022 #116

    I am just commenting on what two electricians from CPES said when in conversation last week one comment was security of the supply to metersundecided

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,859 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #117

    I just wonder what the "greater membership" would think about the introduction of electric meters and where they would see any benefit? Any saving in site fees is likely to be spent on electricity so many might see metering as more of an inconvenience than having any benefit? Those that don't need a hook-up or those that will only use a minimum of electricity because they either employ their solar energy or refillable gas systems will benefit the most but surely they are a tiny minority of members? If electricity prices remain high it has a benefit to the Club in helping to control costs, however will prices for electricity remain high? Apparently there are calls for Ofgem to decouple the pricing of electricity from gas so that we get a more realistic (reduction) in the price of electricity which is not subject the the same market pressures. 

    David

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,426 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #118

    Is it? Not to me, is it for you? If so why do you keep using a system that is to you unfair? Just go to where there is metering?

    An advantage to who? I work, invest? on my cycle fitness to help me to enjoy it more, what advantage will metering give to me and I suspect many others?

    Yes I'm glad to hear it's investing and those investments will bring in money, will metering?

    And if the trial shows negative results hopefully the club won't 'invest' in metering.

     

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,426 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #119

    Benefits but not a return on any money spent. 

    But as you won't be using club sites why Keep worrying, let those that do perhaps make the decisions?

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,668 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2022 #120

    What you use is bound to vary with the age of your van, what equipment you have in your van, how cold it is outside, whether or not you use gas for some purposes, and how much you make use of site facilities, if indeed there are any.

    Our van is a 2008 model, so predates the improved insulation that came in in , I think, 2009.   We have Alde  heating, but only the 2kw version.  To warm the van in colder weather we use gas initially on the Alde, plus a small electric fan heater for instant heat.  It needs 2kw on the Alde to keep the van warm due to the poorer insulation.

    We do not usually go away between the end of October and the middle of March, but one time we did, and it was very cold, we used 40kWh in 24 hours, the fridge/freezer uses 4 and the rest went on cooking, HW and heating.  

    While away at warmer times we would use 10-12 kWh  unless we switch to gas for HW and heating as we always wash up in the van, and mainly use our own shower etc.

    As we have refillable gas bottles, gas is generally cheaper to use than electricity when electricity is expensive and metered.

    Corners........if you get a van with the Alde system, make sure it has, or you add, the load monitor.  This will automatically cut down or off what the Alde uses if you turn on too many other things, you just set it to however many amps are available on your pitch.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited November 2022 #121

    As I posted the member with a very upmarket outfit next. to us in a 15year old PVC ( he did talk to us if forced to) said when the electrician was checking the bollard "if the club bring in metering then I will not use club sites"