Smart Metering Trial

No, none was metered, but interestingly one CL we were on had installed a very large bank of solar panels, and it looked like they also had battery storage for any excess produced during the day.  There was also wifi included in the price, very nice serviced hardstanding pitches, good MH service area, and all for £20 per night.  No toilets or showers.

We have no problem in using a metered pitch and paying for what we use, I have explained above how we would use, and have used, the gas and electricity differently.   But we would expect, in the case of the Club's metering trial, that the pitch fee be reduced by a realistic amount.  And on whatever type of site it is, the cost per kWh needs to be quoted up front so that informed decisions can be made.

A 22 kWh daily use reflects how cold and windy it was where we were, and the lower level of insulation in our van, our summer use would be more like 8 kWh when using all our own facilities. 

However, we are no longer using Club sites, they do not offer us value for money, so much of this is academic as far as we are concerned, more so as we are now actively considering how much longer we will carry on with caravanning.  The discussion is ongoing, but it may only be another couple of years now.

That reflects almost exactly our recent usage on a CL at Coldingham which was metering usage and charging per kWh over a 10 kWh allowance in the pitch fee.   Slight difference was we use an electric hob, but the oven and grill are gas in our 16 years old caravan.

"However, we are no longer using Club sites, they do not offer us value for money, so much of this is academic as far as we are concerned, more so as we are now actively considering how much longer we will carry on with caravanning. The discussion is ongoing, but it may only be another couple of years now."

agree 100 pct, but having said that, i do use sites that are more expensive than club sites, but as i have said before, i do like a swimming pool and am prepared to pay over the odds for this facility.

We use CAMC sites occasionally if we have a special requirement, e.g. if we visit my sister in York we stay at York Beeches for a few days, very nice site, worth £50, doubtful, but it suits our needs. We are of the mindset, if we cannot afford it do not do it, but today we are not rich but not counting the pennies.

our caravan is a 2008 Coachman 5 berth Amara so does not have the luxury of floor to ceiling fridge freezer, central heating etc, so metering will not make a very big differance to how we caravan in the UK, but it works for us

I don’t have any issue with doing that but the reduction in site prices needs to be realistic. I find it very hard to believe that historically folk have only been using an average of just over 2 kWh per 24hours in July.

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The exorbitant price increases were brought in under the guise of necessary because of increased energy costs the misery reduction in pitch prices is just another price increase with the excuse of that is what we wanted metered electricity,, I hope I'm I'm just being pessimistic.

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Ours is also a 2008 model, a twin axle Sterling Searcher.  A big van but ideal for long trips, especially in Europe.  To date we have covered over 47000 miles towing this van,  mostly from 2008 to 2017, and been as far north as Nordkapp in Norway and south to the bottom of Italy.  However, since the first of our 2 youngest grandchildren arrived, we have not been abroad, so only in UK since 2018.

Having caravanned off and on since the early 70s, we have seen a lot of the UK, and indeed of Europe, but there is still plenty of Europe we have not seen and we are missing our overseas trips. And the better weather!

Insurance is now a problem as I will be 81 soon, so I cannot see us getting over there again with the caravan, hence our current discussion on how long to carry on.   Now we are helping with the 2 little ones ( our choice) 2 days per week it is not easy to take long trips.

We found a nice site on the other side of York from Beechwood Grange.....Nurseries Caravan Park if I remember  correctly, I think we paid around £28 last year for a serviced pitch.  We have not started counting the pennies yet either, but £40+ for a pitch does certainly  limit how many nights we would want to stay away!   And the less time we can go away the more significant the servicing, insurance, repairs etc become.

Once we are away, we feel better about keeping the van, but the preparation for a trip is becoming more onerous, and the weather we had on this last trip really limited what we could do.  Hopefully our next outing will be better.

 

 

Comments show the disparity of usage which is at present a shared cost. Our M/H has fairly basic equipment and we're used to being economical when we're off ehu. From that point of view low users won't have to pay for high users and from a M/H point of view we can arrive on site with a warm van which also saves on costs. However the allowance isn't high enough to tempt us. 

It's interesting to use metering as we have done on some CLs and the prices have been reasonable all round. Unfortunately CAMC obviously have very high overheads which seem to be moving ever upwards.

From recent experience on a CL with metered ehu I recall we used just below 10 units per day in our van in fairly cold weather. That being the case, it would make sense that larger outfits would use a bit more. Seems fair to me.