Paying for Energy on Campsites
I know the Club have started to experiment with the metering of electricity on a couple of campsites and want to extend that when they are happy with the system used. I came across this Motorhome Matt video on YouTube which looks more closely into the idea of metering electricity and tries to bust some of the myths around this method of charging. Thought you might find it interesting.
David
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Local pub here in Cornwall operates a simple system.without meters. £15 to pitch in a grass paddock, but free to customers eating meal in the pub. Not an CLso open to all. Electricity optional, but charged at £7 for unlimited use.
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At the end of the day it is hard to say charging for electricity according to your usage is anything but fair. It does need a substantial outlay to set it up which might put up pitch prices a bit too much if the costs are too high. It needs careful thought on implementation and the correct discount from the site fee to allow for the saving on power used yet still allowing for the installation costs. A bit of a balancing act and it is hoped the club get this right.
This does look to be the way sites are going and hope that some sites do not try to profiteer, although by law they should not charge more than they pay for the electricity.
It would be interesting to know if the sites chosen do show a saving on power used.
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Profiteering? £7 is exactly what CAMC charges to power up an electric car on Club site.
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It’s only illegal if they charge a set fee for metered lekky but they can charge what they like for 'use of an unmetered hook up point' which is what C&CC does.
What Euro describes isn’t in the least unusual as I’m sure he knows.
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I always have trouble with this 'fairness idea'. I have to say I don't care if someone is using more or less than me, I want to stay at a particular site and that's the price. I pay it. Just like any other holiday accommodation.
You know in advance what the price will be and you make a choice to pay or not, to go to that site or find one with metering and that is 'fair' to me. No one is being forced to sue any site that has inclusive energy costs.
Another aspect is why should this being fair only apply to campsites? I use holidays lets and airb&bs now more than my caravan for longer holidays. In all the main companies I use (I use about four main ones) none has charges for the energy I use, not one! Yet it would be the easiest thing to do so as after all every cottage, house, will have a meter, in fact most if not all I've used have smart meters to look at resetting each week. Do I worry if the family before or after will be using more than me - no. Likewise for the campsites I use.
But it may trouble some and if so the answer is easy go to a metered site?
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I think the Club have said that on the one site where they started to meter electricity the overall amount of cost saved was 40%, that is a pretty big saving. ( Steamer Quay didn't have EHU before the refurbishment so no comparison there) What we don't know is whether people are being more careful in how they use electricity or whether they are using gas more. I suspect when people are using metered electricity for the first couple of times they are being very careful as its an unknown to them how much they will use. One imagines as we get more used to metering some of that caution might settle down? For some the concern will be that the method of getting onto the system is very Smart Phone based which might be a problem for some. The Club do have a tablet available at the one site with metering which members with out such phones can purchase electricity.
David
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hi David the savings of 40 % is impressive but how has it affected the site bookings in general, are people avoiding sites with metered electric?
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When it is
Saving of 40%, Did the club 'save' all that money though?
All it did was pay 40% less for the bill as I assume the corresponding usage was down. It hasn't really got that 40% extra money in a bank somewhere. All the club does is pay for what it uses and before it had more income coming in to pay for the extra usage now there is less usage and hence less cost but less income as well. Metering has meant people used less electricity with either being careful or have people shifted the energy and price use to gas? I suspect the latter.
I can't remember was it 40% less cost or 40% less electricity? Doesn't make any difference of course to your point.
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@clarinetman Obviously can't answer your point about bookings but I imagine the Club will keep an eye on that to see if there has been any push back against the idea? Steamer Quay seems to be quite popular which also has metered electricity. The DG has been quite clear that, providing they have a robust system in place for paying, the intention is to roll out metering across the network. No doubt the C&CC will be watching quite closely? If it were network wide I think members would soon get used to it and probably in five years time, or perhaps less, it will be the standard way of buying electricity on sites, both Club and commercial.
David
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I have not been to a metered site so have not been able to see them in action so cannot comment on the system. Possibly a roll out might depend on if the reduced fees give members enough discount to cover the extra charges for the electricity. If they find the new system costs more it could cause problems.
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@Frank128 that seems an excessive amount. We were on a CL with metered electrics over Christmas and we were paying around £4 to £5 for the electric we used.
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