September Magazine - I despair!
In the September edition of the magazine two articles made me despair about the Club's knowledge (or lack of) of the vans many of us use.
In Ask Your Club there is a question about keeping your fridge cool on a long ferry journey. The response is fine, if you have a three way fridge. However, no where in the article does the author mention compressor fridge. In fact the impression given is that only three way fridges exist. Many motorhomes have compressor fridges, and even some caravans do now. Obviously a compressor fridge, especially if run from a lithium battery (again no mention) will remain on 12v quite happily on an overnight crossing, and in many cases even longer crossings.
There was an article entitled "Catching the Sun" which outlined the Club's commitment to solar power and possibly battery storage - all good. But then at the end it calls on us all to "do our bit" to save electricity by using our solar panels! This request has been raised before and criticised. What do they expect members to do? We regularly camp "off grip" i.e. with no ehu and use our solar panel and lithium battery. But on the vast majority of Club sites, and the vast majority of pitches, electricity is included in the price. Does the Club expect members to pay for the electricity and not hook up? Obviously once hooked up, the mains electricity will simply charge your battery.
It really is time the Club thought more about the vans members were using and thought through what is was asking members to do.
Comments
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I recently joined my OH for a couple of nights on a Club Site, so on arrival I only paid for an extra adult for two nights. This worked out at over £11 per night. We were off site during the day, we didn’t use the heating, even for hot water, no TV, tiny little fridge. Probably 3 cuppas actually in the MH, so minimal kettle use.
I filled my boots with a couple of very long post cycling showers in the facilities, and we made sure all our appliances, cycling batteries, etc… were fully charged each day. At £11+ per person, and the pitch fee on top of this, there’s no incentive to camp economically.
Elsewhere, we are camping for a flat fee of £15 per night, without hook up, but with loos and showers. We then use our solar power for appliance charging, and fridge on gas, kettle on gas as that’s a nightly saving of over £20 per night, so the incentive is there.First time this year on a Club Site, for a specific event. Doubt we will use another this year at the current prices.
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Fully agree with the comment from Hja on the clubs attitude toward electricity use and cost.
Just come back from Putts corner where the signs request we minimise our electricity use but no mention of charges coming down.
I see members who wish to charge electric cars on site have to inform the site managers who will I assume calculate a cost but how is this cost calculated when the EHU is not metered.
Not sure if the club intends to introduce metering at the EHU if they did we could all pay for our exact use as opposed to the current system where those that use little subside the high users.
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FAQ re metering -
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/faqs/uk-holidays/#smart-metering
and car charging
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/faqs/uk-holidays/#electric-vehicle-charging
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Hja
I suspect the CMC is still very "caravan centric" when it comes to such articles? There will be very few caravans with compressor fridges and even mainstream coachbuilt motorhomes will in the main not have compressor fridges. However, given that we look to the Club to provide us with a wide range of detailed information it certainly is an omission on their part.
On the question of solar panels on Club buildings the comments do illustrated muddled thinking? Like you say how do you achieve what they are suggesting. Most systems are connected to the mains and don't allow the flexibility that the Club seem to want. Far better if they did some suggestions/reviews of low wattage appliances which which would reduce consumption during a stay. The real answer is metering where people will have a choice of either using their own resources or pay to use electricity. We don't yet know whether metering will become the norm as they are still experimenting.
David
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Such is my regard for the club magazine as a source of information - that it arrived three or four days ago and I haven't even bothered to undo the envelope yet!
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Whether you have a 1kw or 3kw kettle, it still takes the same amount of energy to boil a given amount of water! Low wattage appliances very rarely save energy, they just take longer to get a result. If you want to save energy, don’t use it! If you want a cup of tea then no amount of smart metering or other technically misleading tech will or can reduce the energy you need to heat the water. Like the NHS, when something is ‘free’ or included in the price, its supply will be abused until charging is inevitable.
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From the same article...."over the last 15 years we have installed PV panels on 10 campsites".....
at this rate....fill in the blanks...
renewable energy has been a hot topic for a good while and the club seems a bit behind the curve on moving to solar...
the article seems to imply (by mentioning customer peak usage hours) that installing PV panels (and large battery storage facilities) has to cope with the massive use of electricity across the whole site, incl users in their vans...the level/size of solar fields required to support this sort of usage is in a different league.
surely, the first stage is to use solar/batteries to enable the water heating, lighting and appliance power in the amenities blocks and the offices? Heat the water during the day via solar/thermal piped heating (as on the roof of just about every house in Spain) and insulate the water tanks for all day usage. Store other excess solar energy in batteries to allow office and amenities lighting to run after dark.
Is the club suggesting a few roof panels on the office and toilet block will enable all tourers to turn on their kettles, heating and hot water 'for free'?
The 300w of solar on our van makes us independent of most mains requirements but to run a 3 way fridge we would need gas and also for our water heating. Running mains devices (heaters, hot water) in vans requires a different approach altogether....much more solar, large batteries and a big inverter.
are club sites going to become solar fields?...as this is what it would take to make a dent in customer caravan/MH power usage...
im happy to 'use my own power' when I'm on a site that is non EHU or I can take a non EHU option for a sensible price reduction.
However, I'd not be happy for fees to rise to fund large solar roofs and also be asked use my own power 'to play my part'.
investment should have a purpose, I've invested in my van to save me money and add independence of EHU. The clubs investment should bring down the cost of running the bits of the site it controls...the office and the amenities blocks.
if it does this and the investment is recouped, the lower running costs should then be passed back to the customers...
if the club is also to tackle the cost of electricity on pitches, there are many ways to do this. The decision to go for meters is a good move and means a more flexible usage for customers and a clear idea of costs. I'd be happy to 'play my part' by using a meter as I can then make use of my own solar investment.
As HJA suggests, the club trying to have its cake and eat it?
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My August one never arrived at all. This month's has only arrived in the past few days.
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