Electricity meters

We are currently looking at all sorts of sites, Club, CL, CS, private in SWales area. Surprising how much extra some charge if you want a hook up, up to £5/6 per night in some instances, and that's for September. We can manage very well without hook up, got a small solar panel, used to using gas, so a definite option some nights for us. I doubt we would use anything like £5 in electricity per day, we will be unhooked and off site for around10/11 hours per day, and don't use heating at all in Summer bar an hour in morning for water. Charge up devices on the move, no TV. We only use small gas cylinders, no top up system. Don't seem to use that much gas....

Yes we use club sites, so far this year about 12 nights, probably another 30 to come in September, plus C&CC 4 nights, CLs 7 nights, all low season, and about 62 nights abroad.
We use them because of the ease of booking and altering bookings, a very important consideration when you are in your 75th year! We think them to be quite expensive for what they offer , but not as expensive as losing lots of deposits.

We have already had to totally replan our September trip, so just as well alterations are easy.

i am not agitating for the Club to start metering electricity, just agreeing with the view of some others that it would be a fairer way to do things, and probably cut the overall bill for the Club as well. With my large van, others are probably subsidising me.

I am happy to pay for what we use, and as in peedee's example I would expect the site fees to be considerably less than the "all inclusive" present fees. It would then be my choice whether I heated with gas or electricity, showered in the van or not, washed up in the van or not, etc.

We do already quite often use gas for heating and HW as the system gives much better results on gas.

Hotels.....in the last 10 years we have spent one night in a very nice B&B while attending a wedding reception. We watched the provided TV, used the provided wifi a bit, charged our devices and  had a few lights on.

Ferries....how much water and electricity can one use in 2 hours? One toilet flush each,no electricity. This year we did take a 6 hour ferry, I probably made 2 visits to the gents, OH twice to the ladies, we did not use any electricity to charge any devices. We did buy fish and chips on the return journey, on the outward journey we did as many do and took sandwiches.

BTW....I have never been to a restaurant where you can eat as much as  you like.  I obviously need to get out more!

I wonder how they stand from a legal point of view when they quote a charge for electricity. As you say it would be difficult to use £5 / £6 of electricity a day in September, when the heating is on so little. So are they not charging more for it than they pay. 

I know the club do the same and clearly subsidise winter use with summer prices. However, their method is a little more grey as there is no openly quoted price for the supply. 

By the way I don't mind the subsidisation factor, I think I do enough higher priced visits to club sites, to cover my winter excesses.😉

just agreeing with the view of some others that it would be a fairer way to do things, and probably cut the overall bill for the Club as well.

It might reduce the CC's leccy bill but I cannot see that it would actually reduce their outgoings KjellNN and so overall no financial impact on the club.  

Probably they are charging for the facility of being able to hook up, not for the actual amount of electricity.  Is that not how it works with a C&CC pitch?

I have no idea on overall costs, presumably the fixed costs would become part of the pitch fees, but I would expect the electricity bill to drop a bit.  Even if it did not, we would all be paying for our use anyway.

I doubt many of us use much electricity in Summer TDA. I may turn the heating on at bedtime this time of year but unlikely to actually come on other than to heat the water. During the day it is off as I don't need it or additional hot water beyond 7am.

I don't know K. Are the C&CC pitches the same pitches and you just pay to use hook up or not? We have not used one of their sites so have no experience. 

I can see that would get round it. However, if the meter is there and you just opt to use it or not, I can't see how that gets around the regulation. Perhaps just because nobody has challenged it yet.😬

We only started with C&CC this year, so not a lot of experience as yet, but they seem to have pitches with and without EHU, the ones with do cost more.  No metering.

Where a site has a metered supply, they would presumably have to charge only what it costs them, though they can factor in standing charges as far as I understand.  Other EHU costs would be part of the pitch fee.

All a mystery to me, just seems a randomly applied charge in some instances, bit like some of the other add ons that some sites want to charge for. I am happy to have the option of none ehu or with ehu, but do wonder at the difference in price. We have on occasion used economy pitches at places like Wincanton in the past in the Summer. 

We shall be looking for a mix of all sorts of sites for our Wales tour, but all below £18 per night. Some nice CLs with plenty of extras for around the £14/15 price. Just need to check out reviews using various websites!