However the cost of the pitch already has the use of electric added in so total is probably higher. At home we seldom exceed £10 during a day even on the coldest winter day and that would be using the washing and tumble drier machines. We have a heat pump.
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This demonstrates why campsites want to meter electricity
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I firmly believe pay as you go metered electricity is the easiest and fairest method. Energy prices have been on a roller coaster the last few years making it very hard for site owners to calculate an acceptable daily pitch rate.
I am against subsidising winter tourers out of my summer costs.
As we have seen on an earlier thread the cost and installation of cash or card meters is not expensive. They give financial stability to both the site and customer.
I am against subsidising winter tourers out of my summer costs.
As we have seen on an earlier thread the cost and installation of cash or card meters is not expensive. They give financial stability to both the site and customer.
I do think we have a responsibility to be reasonable with our electricity use but suspect a probably minority are not and his will either push up bills for all of us or mean we all get metered electricity. Possibly the worst are those trying to heat their awning, t just is not possible and sites should ban the practice.
The problem with metered pitches is that you probably not not know when last the meter was calibrated, whether the readings are accurate and whether the charge per kw is the same as what the site owner is paying.
Calibrating is done by a private individual company not associated with any supplier as all the meters on a caravan are sub-meters and will be private.
That’s partly true but two things.
When was your house meter last calibrated?
The modern solid state kit on the market is usually certified accurate and should remain so for some time.
Also we know our maximum burn in 24 hours is 3.68 kWh x 24 x the unit cost.
We expect to be way below that . I know from experience on two sites recently our winter burn is approx £5. Per 24 hrs. I think I know when to worry if the meter is out of sink😁
As DD, realistically what is the chances of these meters being so far out of calibration that you are being robbed, or equally even getting a bit more than you are charged for?
They will on a site be exposed to checking more frequently than your home unit, there a minimum of every 10 years, then its not recalibrated but changed out.
A site owner over charging I suspect unless by a trivial amount is exposing themselves to be caught out, the serious ramifications of that ought to make doing so pretty uncommon, IMO.
As I said earlier, I think the rate should be on the notice board along with any other, "extras".
Ideally they ought publish it on booking forms, so if it is the decision maker to use that site or not, those users living in fear of a pending rip off, can avoid it.
Add into the mix; IMO if sites at the lower pricing and margin end of the system like many 5 van sites are, simply will not be able to risk keeping open during the winter unless they do meter EHU usage.
They will on a site be exposed to checking more frequently than your home unit, there a minimum of every 10 years, then its not recalibrated but changed out.
A site owner over charging I suspect unless by a trivial amount is exposing themselves to be caught out, the serious ramifications of that ought to make doing so pretty uncommon, IMO.
As I said earlier, I think the rate should be on the notice board along with any other, "extras".
Ideally they ought publish it on booking forms, so if it is the decision maker to use that site or not, those users living in fear of a pending rip off, can avoid it.
Add into the mix; IMO if sites at the lower pricing and margin end of the system like many 5 van sites are, simply will not be able to risk keeping open during the winter unless they do meter EHU usage.
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Not sure why you would want the meter in the sink? 🤣 Domestic premises were supposed to be checked once every 5 or 10 years I cannot remember which, but on a caravan site which is a business organisation they are not require to check calibration ever! They could be using cheap un-calibrated meters from the Far East as there is no requirement for them to install meters that have been calibrated as the meters are privately owned.
Many years ago we stayed on a site in Wales which had metered pitches. I monitored our consumption as fridge and heating were running on gas. Consumption during the day was as expected and my last reading was just before going to bed.
After showering etc I went out to check the reading and to my horror during the night we had used more electric that during the day. Shortly afterwards the power went off and I went up to the reception to buy a top up. I asked why we had used so much electric during the night and initially I was fobbed off until I showed him my readings with times. He did not argue any further and gave me another card FOC!
Incorrect as there is no need to check or calibrated privately owned metering. The sub meters will be privately owned by the site management and not associated with any electric supplier. The site will have one main meter either HH or three phase and that supplies the privately owned sub meters.
The resale of electricity is as we should all know by now a regulated process where by a reseller (Campsite) cannot charge more for electricity that what they pay.
A reseller could find themselves in hot water if there meters they use to record usage are not accurate, so they would have to be periodically calibrated as defined by the meters manufacturer or any relevant electrical supply regulations.
A reseller that does not use calibrated meters could not only be trouble for overcharging customers, but also with weights and measures for not calibrating their meters.
A reseller could find themselves in hot water if there meters they use to record usage are not accurate, so they would have to be periodically calibrated as defined by the meters manufacturer or any relevant electrical supply regulations.
A reseller that does not use calibrated meters could not only be trouble for overcharging customers, but also with weights and measures for not calibrating their meters.
I don't think the above applies to privately owned meters? The meters could be bought on any website that sells meters. However if you can post the link that states that privately owned metering requires to be calibrated I can have a read and up date myself. I worked for an energy supplier and our responsibility stopped at the main meter for the site.
The fact remains freedom of choice is of paramount importance. I know to the nearest pound what my 24 hour bill will be. Sure there may be some give and take but I can’t castigate a site owner going down the payg route. It will not stop me using such sites. I suspect with the way the energy bills are increasing many others will follow suit. At least it means I am not subsidising others
Maybe it would be fair if the site then reduced the cost of the pitch if they add metering, but has this happened where metering has been installed?
An energy supplier like the one you were employed by would only be responsible for the equipment they use and the supply they provide. that responsibility as you say ends at the suppliers meter. That is not in question.
What happens on a caravan site after your companies meter is the responsibility of the site owner. However the site by reselling power by the kWh to caravanners is a retailer, and thus subject to fair trading regulations which require traders to have measuring equipment of verified accuracy. They can be subject to scrutiny by Trading Standards who can check that customers are treated fairly. In the case of electrical power if a customer is being charged by the kWh, they would need to be able to verify the metering is accurate within the error range allowed by the relevant regulations.
Would you go to pub that sold short measures? or buy fuel from a station that didn't have verified metering? Why should the retail of electricity be any different.
Domestic energy bills are reducing again in April but without knowing the site owners contract with an energy supplier it’s very difficult to ascertain the basis of their charges. But by comparison site with site and by information gleaned from Forums and social media you will get a feel for what is reasonable. But as you say in the end you can exercise choice. I am supportive of metering to the pitch.
A CL I stayed on last year had metered electric. The pitch fee is £20 and includes 10kW of electric per day, anything over 10kW you have to pay for. Looking at other CL's I think that it compares well price wise but I don't know whether they charged more before metering.
I've booked to go back there next month, lovely site.
It would be a simple task to cross check it with your house meter if you felt the need. Turn everything off in the house for an hour (fridge / freezer won't suffer if you keep them closed) and run a few things in the van plugged into a socket in the house.
Nice project though. As you have proven it's interesting to see what you've used if nothing else, and it can't hurt to check that what you're being charged for is correct.
Actually metering is one way sites can maintain a reasonable price without overall increase 😎
Let me turn this on its head.
This CAMC link , setting up a CL says it all. No free lunches but equally I am sure you will all agree the land owner is not a charity😉
Most CLs are in the £20/25 bracket with or without payg electric..
The CL owners are our friends and enable loads of us to pitch in remote off beat beautiful places that a commercial site can’t achieve.
This idea is fairly new but I believe MR Plodd is correct in that the site cannot charge more for the power than they pay for it. There will always be some who break the rules though and I am afraid whatever the law a few will overcharge.
My feeling is that at least any site charging for electricity should quote the rate you pay so you know where you stand. It does drive me towards club sites where you can be sure they will do it right though.
My feeling is that at least any site charging for electricity should quote the rate you pay so you know where you stand. It does drive me towards club sites where you can be sure they will do it right though.
Cannot remember the last time we were on gas, every thing done was electric, such as heating ,boiler,lighting, cooking. Always on all service pitch which was about £10 more on top of the pitch price but worth it in my view so never gave it a thought as to how much it would be where they charge pkw. I think I posted long while ago about being in Germany and at the time we had air condition unit . In the morning checking out reception said do you know how much extra the bill is?. Well it was a very warm day and night so the boss wanted it on ll the time.
Surely it would be easy enough to ask when you enquire about pitch availability. They may not be able to tell you what the price will be when you stay due to energy price fluctuations, but they could tell you what it was at the time of your enquiry which would be a fair indication of what it was likely to be when you stay.
This might be an unpopular opinion on here, but I'm very much against metered electricity on a campsite.
This year we have 8 trips booked in the UK all on sites where the electricity is included in the pitch fee. We have avoided sites with meters, in fact have never stayed on a site with pitch metres.
I don't want to go away on a break and have "meter anxiety" worrying about how much electric we're using. I just want to pitch up and relax. I certainly don't want to wake up in a morning, or come back from the pub, to find I have run out of credit and the power has been off and everything in the fridge / freezer is spoilt.
We are not wasteful with electric. Indeed it is difficult to be with 16 / 10 amp (or lower) trips on the pitch. I would guess the biggest consumer of power on a pitch would be heating which kind of regulates itself...if it's too hot it's simply uncomfortable and has to be turned down. I don't expect anything for free, I just prefer it to be included in one price
Like most people on here we have friends who are caravanners and they are all against meters so am a little surprised at the general feeling on here of being in favour of them. Like so many things, choice of cars / voting tendencies, I think it's a generational thing
Caravanning has become increasingly expensive in recent years. Any further perceived cost increases will only direct the hobby in one direction.
This year we have 8 trips booked in the UK all on sites where the electricity is included in the pitch fee. We have avoided sites with meters, in fact have never stayed on a site with pitch metres.
I don't want to go away on a break and have "meter anxiety" worrying about how much electric we're using. I just want to pitch up and relax. I certainly don't want to wake up in a morning, or come back from the pub, to find I have run out of credit and the power has been off and everything in the fridge / freezer is spoilt.
We are not wasteful with electric. Indeed it is difficult to be with 16 / 10 amp (or lower) trips on the pitch. I would guess the biggest consumer of power on a pitch would be heating which kind of regulates itself...if it's too hot it's simply uncomfortable and has to be turned down. I don't expect anything for free, I just prefer it to be included in one price
Like most people on here we have friends who are caravanners and they are all against meters so am a little surprised at the general feeling on here of being in favour of them. Like so many things, choice of cars / voting tendencies, I think it's a generational thing
Caravanning has become increasingly expensive in recent years. Any further perceived cost increases will only direct the hobby in one direction.
We are also against metering on a pitch for the reasons mentioned so you are not alone. With some sites you need to pay for the card in cash as the amount is under £10. Nothing worse than waking up in the morning only to find you have no more credit and the office does nto open for another hour or so. Do you pay for the metering when stating in a B&B, hotel etc? Normally it is all included in the price.
The various site search engines eg U.K. campsite don’t allow selection of “metered or un metered “ electricity yet. I’m all for choice. Any volunteers to ask Ukcampsite?
How much is an all inclusive pitch compared to a metered one?
Generally a FSP with meter has cost me between £22-30. Per night. Non metered were more expensive £40. But CAMC sites 16 amp were reasonable in the low season but not FSP. Either way with all our aches a FSP is preferred with or without metering.
How much is an all inclusive pitch compared to a metered one?
Generally a FSP with meter has cost me between £22-30. Per night. Non metered were more expensive £40. But CAMC sites 16 amp were reasonable in the low season but not FSP. Either way with all our aches a FSP is preferred with or without metering.
I completely understand where you're coming from but have you any way of checking how much you use on a typical day? You may find that you're subsidising others who like to heat their awnings.
As a newbie I've only stayed on one metered site, it was no great hardship. On arrival the meter was loaded with 40kW for our 4 night stay. I simply checked the meter occasionally to see how we were doing. It was a CL and the owner checked all the meters once per day as well. One couple did go over 10kW on their first night (their heating timer wasn't set up correctly and came on in the middle of the night, the chap said that they woke up sweating). They paid the owner and extra £10 to make sure that they didn't run out. She gave them a £6 refund before they left. I think that he said that they were there for 4 nights so an extra £1 per night.
