Smart Metering Trial

A generator would add weight affecting payload for m’homes/campervans but may not be a problem for car/caravans.

As with everything we all live life differently and choice is out there

I'm on a proper campsite with a bollard on my pitch that has water waste and an EHU socket.

the showers and toilets are of the highest standard.

I just chose the grass pitch with no EHU option...

I put my grey waste down the bollard trap and my black waste into the CCEP just like you (hopefully) do...

nothing fancy, just an option from the menu of pitch types....and much cheaper but with everything else other pitch types have.

we also do non-EHU THS temp sites, but again, there is a grey waste and black waste provision.

we also use Aires but these also have the above provisions.

we also use 'other stopping places' and we can dump our waste when we next arrive at a 'proper' stopping place with services.

Moderator comment: Post slightly edited. 

Mind you, this thread is really about CAMC’s trial of smart metering of electricity on just 2 club sites rather than off site 'wild camping', although anyone can be forgiven for not realising that.😁

 

Moderator comment: Post slightly edited. 

Hi everyone, there's been some interesting posts made here and very informative but just a polite reminder to keep the discussion relating to the smart metering trial and feedback on this. Please feel free to start a new topic on touring off grid as I am sure many will find this really interesting and helpful. 

Tried it ... Not for me thanks !

Stayed for 3 nights at Wyatts Covert and took part in the smart metering trial.

The site fee saving was £2.50 pn ie £7.50 for the stay.

I'd accessed the meter-macs website in advance and registered for an account. Uploaded a £10 credit at set-up ( which was simply a guess ).

Had to access the account online on arrival to turn the electricity 'on' at the pitch. It is not an 'app' but a website so you need to have the link handy. 

Had the fridge on electric, boiled the kettle a couple of times a day and used the hotplate on the cooker once for 10 mins. I did not use the microwave, the hot water heater or any heating. My total was £5.50 for the 3 days so a saving of £2 in total. I then had to access the website again to turn the meter 'off' on leaving. I then had to access the website again and request a refund from the account of the £4.50 I didn't need.

All in all I found it a complete faff and of absolutely no benefit to me at all. I would have ordinarily used the onboard boiler to keep a supply of hot water to the taps but didn't really need it in the Summer .. I've no doubt that would have pushed up the usage to over £2.50, and I dread to think what it would be if I'd put on the Alde heating.

I'm glad I tried it but won't be doing so again if I have the option.... I will be happier to pay the standard price, plug in and enjoy my stay without the online faff and anxiety of having a meter running continuously in the background ! 

Really interesting. Do you think your response would have been different if the system had been simpler? Eg meter readings at start and end of stay? I have always thought the system sounded complex. I am sure other large sites have different ways of doing it.  I do hope the second site the club is trialling will  have a different method.

Your usage etc seems to indicate what many of us felt, that the drop in pitch price was not sufficient to compensate for removing the electricity element. 

Nice to have a real world report. Thanks.

you mention the anxiety of having a meter running in the background...that meter still runs and needs to be allocated somewhere, whether the club add the average pitch 'guesstimate' to each members bill or you get it individually...

others have said many times that paying for what you use sharpens the focus, which is what's happened with you....one or two have suggested that, in their case, they will 'carry on doing what they've always done' etc...and I'm sure they will and that they will enjoy their stay and enjoy paying their bill.

It's everyone's prerogative to use what they deem they need, but at least now, light users will benefit from a light(er) bill.

I also agree with the faff of the on/off via a website, other sites where we have been metered operate in (as far as I'm concerned) a more customer friendly manner, where a bill is settled in the office the evening prior to leaving.... obviously, different office hours at CAMC sites precludes this...

btw, can the office access a members account should they run into difficulty or it it 'hands off' and the customer has to sort things out with the web provider?

perhaps one of the things to come out  the trial might be the production of a simple app which is quickly found on one's phone...linking to web pages is a bit 'old hat' these days but the club generally isn't 'new hat'🤷🏻‍♂️

Thanks for reporting back, very interesting. Unfortunately Wyatts Covert gets very few reviews so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised with the lack of feedback until now. I hope you might also add a review? 

The system, as you describe it seems quite straight forward to me, albeit an additional task to do on this site. We don't know for sure whether it would be the same system if it were rolled out network wide? Having said that I am not sure what system would be easier, especially if it needs to be accessible 24/7.   As to pitch savings, many have questioned the generosity of the reduction if you are using metering, although fair to say the reduction is much more at the times of years with probable maximum power usage. I suppose its possible that when the Club have a more accurate picture of the savings that metering provides could adjust prices to reflect bigger savings, if indeed they do exist.

David

 

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Better still, not bother to use that site at all and find a nearby alternative at a reasonable price.