Is EHU metering a good investment?

Hi hja, This is one of my previous posts;

Posted on 16/03/2022 19:12
Quote

So far as seeing this “from the other side” goes, I spent time yesterday with the owner of a 300 pitch site near Newquay.

The discussion was wide ranging,  but on EV charging he felt that due to his electricity costs he would not be able to allow it and that he was frustrated by the “high expectations” of guests who wanted low pitch prices but unlimited use of electricity.

He had considered installing EV chargers but the price, for the type he was told he would need, was prohibitive, and it was the same for metered supplies at the pitch.

The site owner has taken the decision not to allow EV charging, and it’s covered in their T&Cs, for the reasons given.

He did not see it was for him, or his customers, to subsidise the equipment, or infrastructure, required to enable him to offer EV charging-he did put it slightly differently!

Thanks.

Although I do think metering electricity is a different issue to charging hybrid and full ev cars. I notice quite a number of CLs now saying that they dont allow car charging and indicating where the nearest public charging points are.

I'm slightly surprised about the prohibitive costs of metering in general, although I guess that is more about the size of the site and necessary up front payment.  Smaller sites seem to be able to more easily accommodate the costs. 

"If quite a lot of commercial sites go down the metering/non EHU route and the Club doesnt but just includes the electricity price within its pitch price as now, then the Club's pitches will soon appear to be very expensive in comparison to other sites."

This is a very salient point....especially if other sites use the same 'from' (absolute minimum) prices the Club does.

a commercial site at, say, £12 a night (for one person plus pitch plus metered electric) looks attractive against a Club site of, say, £16 (for one person plus pitch plus inclusive electric).

customers may have to get used to the 'new' like for like (or not) pricing and be fully aware of what's included.

Of course, in spring/summer it does mean that sites with metered electric might seem like a bargain for those with solar.😀😀😀 (one for each panel).

If a small site can manage, say, 20 pitches with meters out of the profits from 20 pitches, why can't the club manage 100 pitch metering out of the profits for 100 pitches? The costs might be 5 times as much but so will the level of the profits.

surely, with the clubs economies of scale (and the 'insurances', membership fees etc) they must be at least as profitable (per network pitch) as a small site?

whenever this topic is discussed numbers like £5m are bandied about. Yes, it's a lot of money but then so is the relative price for a 20 pitch site compared to its turnover and profit.

that mentioned £5m is funded across the whole huge site network in the same proportion as the 20 van site....it's only the scale of the number that makes folk gasp... 

...say, 20 pitches with meters out of the profits from 20 pitches, why...

Where did anyone mention anything about profits from any number of pitches?

It is against the law to make a profit out of metering pure and simple. A site can pay to install meters but I cannot see how they can make a profit from them to pay for that cost?

Where we are going to stop over Xmas and new year it is a 20 pitch site and the owner is very proud and let's everybody know it  he spent £60,000 building his new facilities block and he has jus apologised  he has  increased his prices from £20 in the summer to £23 for the winter months per night hardstanding for two adults with 16 amp EHU 

To put things in perspective 

I think the last time this was discussed and possible calculations it was said that 10,000 pitches was too low, an average pitch size would be higher than 50. From memory the figures from various posters were anywhere from 5 to 10 million pounds. Where would this money come from, either current reserves or higher something?

But it's all up to the club and they've made their position clear, posted upthread by DK.

I don't think that an honesty system would work. JVB has posted on a previous thread that he had overheard somebody boosting that they didn't include their children on the booking to save money, also remember that some sites are open to non members and there's nothing to stop somebody plugging in overnight. Unfortunately people who are happy to scam the system do walk amongst us. I wouldn't want site staff having become EHU police.

Where did anyone say making a profit out of electricity sales?

I was taking about the general profit made from 'each pitch'....ie total profit divided by number of pitches.

all sites make improvements from their profits...or sometimes borrow to make a significant investment...

Our granddaughter works at Tesco's while at uni and when away from uni and as I have posted before she as a multi-tasking staff member works on the self checkout area and  if they are asked to do checks they always have security close by when they as is normally the case some shoppers are caught,and she says it is quite often,

She says if Tesco's could recruit staff they would stop self checkouts as it is quite an easy method of some to get a "cheap shop"