low cost aires and camping stops

[GeoffL]

Houstons mill broughshane,we have it covered,no sniper of lecy here.

Seems similar to the Camperplatz in NL and many aires in France that are also on meters. At the Camperplatz in Valkenburg, electricity cost us €0.60 per kwH; €12 for three nights. We had the heater on low overnight and ran the fridge and water heater off mains. However, €12 seemed worth it as we were at the start of our five-week holiday and needed to conserve gas.

 

[wildebus]

£4 for hookup seems perfectly reasonable to me - as has been said, it is the cost of initial provision, ongoing servicing, no doubt regular safety checks and certifications that need to be covered, etc.

18p for two days use charged? good value - for the camper. very poor business for the site owner - apart from provision, what about the time cost of recording the initial reading, same again for the final reading, collecting the payment, recording the payments in their accounts, etc, etc. (this is meant to be a business so those things ARE required).

I'm looking to move next year and was thinking about maybe a place which had room for a few campers/MHs. And providing simple services like Hookup - but I sure wouldn't want to do it below cost! £4 for a max 10A rated supply would be a minimum - and optional for those who didn't require it.

 

[molly 2]

Pays you play has to be the fairest way for site owners and campers .even in summer some campers can use a lot of leccy running air conditioning all day .no wonder sites want us off by 10 00 .

 

[jagmanx]

Waste of energy is the issue for me

Not reasonable usage

We use C&CC CS in April and September
Mainly as it is cold.
Yes we use a fan heater a bit mainly in the evenings.
It runs at 1KW so even 5 hours running at 100% is 5KW hours which at domestic (20p per KWH) rates is £1
In fact with its thermostat control I suggest that actual usage is maybe 75% of my figure above
Given that EHU is £3 to £5 the Campsite is winning (even if their commercial rate is more!)
Yes campsites often include EHU but I expect that the minimum factor in is £3
Cost of other leccy use such as battery charging and lighting is minimal.
But I believe the Fridge can use a bit (until it has cooled down)

We choose not to use Leccy for any cooking (eg crockpot Induction cooker.......dare I say Remoska etc)
Our Hot water only uses gas !

I will pay £3 extra for EHU if needed BUT not £4 or £5

But I think the Main point from the OP is
"People taking the P155 and putting the viability of smaller campsites at risk"
I agree 100% with that sentiment

 

[edina]

A campsite, CL, call it what you like is a business.

I don’t see how any business supplying goods or services can use terms like ‘abuse’ or ‘ripping off’ when their customers use those goods or services.

If the business owner wants to restrict or regulate the supply of water or electricity, then the onus is on them to do so, not the customer.

To me it really is that simple.

 

[Nesting Zombie]

It’s a ‘Package’ of Serveces offered that the business supplies to attract customers the same as MOST businesses do.
A site that I stayed on back in end Oct charged me £18 for The Nest & Me on a Safe Hardstanding Pitch, with 10a Electric, Hot showers, Clean Heated Toilet & Shower Block, As much water as I needed, Chemical Toilet Dump Facilities, Domestic Waste Dump Facilities, Grey water Dump Facilities, Ground Lighting, TV Room, included in the price charged that covers The Nest & up to TWO adults as a Package.
In addition to which if I wanted
Sauna Facilities (Extra £2), Pool Facilities (Extra £1.50).
There was only one of me (& I’m half Dead)
I arrived at 16:00 left at 10:00 = 18hrs
I’m very happy with paying £1 an hour for my stay at that business, I’ve paid similar JUST for a space in a Carpark with NOTHING else supplied !.

 

[Channa]

It’s a ‘Package’ of Serveces offered that the business supplies to attract customers the same as MOST businesses do.
A site that I stayed on back in end Oct charged me £18 for The Nest & Me on a Safe Hardstanding Pitch, with 10a Electric, Hot showers, Clean Heated Toilet & Shower Block, , as much water as I needed, Chemical Toilet Dump Facilities, Domestic Waste Dump Facilities, Ground Lighting, TV Room, included in the price charged that covers The Nest & up to TWO adults as a Package.
In addition to which if I wanted
Sauna Facilities (Extra £2), Pool Facilities (Extra £1.50).
There was only one of me (& I’m half Dead)
I arrived at 16:00 left at 10:00 = 18hrs
I’m very happy with paying £1 an hour for my stay at that business, I’ve paid similar JUST for a space in a Carpark with NOTHING else supplied !.

I guess in some ways general parking puts things in context

The site above doesn't sound like a cl so a slightly different scenario and business model perhaps

The other consideration when we start applying our business brains is off peak/off season a lot of sites see their fees as contributory income to offset against overheads which people often forget still apply when a the site closes for winter typically re opening Easter. one big gripe people have is the six week school holidays last 2 weeks of July first two of August prices sky rocket. Profiteering or simple supply and demand ?

I think the original posters point I quoted is not whether £3 or £x represents fair value for electricity but customers abusing services leaving heaters on all day etc when out awnings the biggest offenders. the fair line between legitimate heavy useage and abiuse seems clouded

Channa

 

[mistericeman]

Further to above, this thread got me thinking that although this is a wild camping site, it seems that many members do use campsites and do use electricity.
I can honestly say, that in the last year, we have only had electricity for two nights and that was when we were at a business campsite having our alarm fitted. The electricity price was inclusive and no separate charges.
Maybe this is why I was or maybe a little out of touch with charges.
So although this is a wild camping site, how many don't use electricity?

Used hook up the first time this weekend gone with the new van as its just factory at the moment so no solar etc....
We've never used hook up in the last 3 years with the transit as I built it to be completely self sufficient power wise.

Ill likely be adapting the new van to be self sufficient over time as I don't like needing hook up.

 

[wints]

We were on Tewkesbury CC site last year...warm evening..caravanner next door had awning front down, and 2 infra-red heaters suspended from the awning roof, him and his wife were flat out on loungers with their cozzies on...I mentioned this to the site warden the day after, he just shrugged his shoulders and said that as EHU was included then not a lot he could do.

It's very rare that we use sites, and if there was an option for non ehu pitch, we'd have it.

Cl's that have installed ehu / loos / showers are not on our shopping list.

Allen

 

[delicagirl]

As I said in my posts, I do or did think that £4 was too expensive (before reading this thread) and like the post above I am happy with £3 but £4 makes me not book!
However as I have NEVER paid £4 and very very rarely use hook up. it does seem that maybe, I am out of touch with what campsite electricity charges now are, so maybe I will review my stance and just maybe I would pay the £4
Or I could be a tight arse as I have been accused of!:lol-049::banana:

my previous post was removed *****... it could have been because i was implying what you are happy to laugh about !!! i just wonder how much more than £1 you might spend in fuel looking for a place with electric at £3 rather than £4 - maybe false economy ?

In the winter i use sites in the winter for a few nights stay and the last one i used a couple of weeks ago charged £13 and they had everything you could possibly want - laundry, irons, pay phone (in a no signal area), private family room for showering, immaculately clean facilities and a great shop - and how any one could make any money out of me at that nightly rate is beyond me. In the summer i use a site weekly for a very long hot shower and waste/water stop.

if we dont use sites we will lose them and then where will be put out waste??

 

[delicagirl]

First, what do you mean laugh about? the only person mentioning laughing is YOU!




You were implying that I was tight! That was the reason your post was moderated!
Regarding wasting money driving to save£1 Certainly NOT ME! I usually know where I am going and again with fuel, I never drive off route to save pence!

""""Or I could be a tight arse as I have been accused of! """ the smilies you put here (which dont seem to have copied over) seemed to be to indicate you found my earlier comment funny ?


it does amuse me though that we are talking about such a small amount of money ......

 

[delicagirl]

you made my morning brighter ***** :lol-053::rabbit::wave::lol-049::nothingtoadd:

 

[QFour]

It would be nice to have the choice with Electricity wether you wanted it or not. We stopped on one CL in Norfolk the other year and he was saying that he had a couple of Motorhomes and a couple of Caravans on earlier in the year and they used so much electric he would have been better off telling them to leave.

The C&MC the other year had a question on the forum about the best fan heaters to use in an awning as they wanted to keep it warm for when they came back. Problem is that they think they are missing out because they are being charged for it so they have to use it. The Caravaners now want fully serviced pitches on CL's because the C&MC Sites are getting very expensive.

CL's could always drop the supply to 6 amps which would certainly cut down on the use of heating but provide enough for the fridge.

 

[witzend]

When you consider the cost of electric and the cost of the installation of the system 4£ doesn't seem a lot for Electric compared to buying a £800 + Honda generator for stand by use

 

[guerdeval]

Yes, the C&MC and the C&CC are getting expensive and it's easy to see why if you read through these posts. The same business model exists for large or small, charge enough you make a profit, charge too little you make a loss and eventually go out of business. £4 for electricity may seem a lot for some but others probably use a lot more, solution, pay for what you use. Metering is the only workable solution but of course this is exactly the wrong website to extol such ideas, many on here want something for nothing, some on here boasting they've "never paid for a TV licence" as if that's a virtue! , you'll never change SOME peoples attitudes towards getting something for nothing or paying a fair price for a service.

 

[Glass man]

Many sites in Denmark and Sweden as well as other countries charge for electricity by the amount you use. This seems fare to me.
In winter I pay €0.50 for 1Kwh which is quite enough to recharge the batteries.
FRIDGE and heating on LPG.
The fridge might cost €1 or so depending on size if used on electricity and the heating, typically €1.50 an hour.
So I end up paying a small amount to keep the batteries charged and then €1 to €2 for the gas used.
Some friends own a small site and deliberately limit the electricity to 5Amps.

 

[barryd]

It would be nice to have the choice with Electricity wether you wanted it or not. We stopped on one CL in Norfolk the other year and he was saying that he had a couple of Motorhomes and a couple of Caravans on earlier in the year and they used so much electric he would have been better off telling them to leave.

The C&MC the other year had a question on the forum about the best fan heaters to use in an awning as they wanted to keep it warm for when they came back. Problem is that they think they are missing out because they are being charged for it so they have to use it. The Caravaners now want fully serviced pitches on CL's because the C&MC Sites are getting very expensive.

CL's could always drop the supply to 6 amps which would certainly cut down on the use of heating but provide enough for the fridge.

As I mentioned earlier. Why do we need 16amp hookups? How easy would it be to put in a hookup point with say a 6amp or 10amp switch that only the owner can set? £3 for 6amp or £7 for 10amp. That would focus the abusers a bit.

 

[delicagirl]

Yes, the C&MC and the C&CC are getting expensive and it's easy to see why if you read through these posts. The same business model exists for large or small, charge enough you make a profit, charge too little you make a loss and eventually go out of business. £4 for electricity may seem a lot for some but others probably use a lot more, solution, pay for what you use. Metering is the only workable solution but of course this is exactly the wrong website to extol such ideas, many on here want something for nothing, some on here boasting they've "never paid for a TV licence" as if that's a virtue! , you'll never change SOME peoples attitudes towards getting something for nothing or paying a fair price for a service.

I chose to spend a week on Mendip Heights campsite last month to write and to get peace and quiet. I was astonished at how hard the franchisees work. They open their shop i think at 8.30am and this is after they have baked fresh bread and pastries, and the shop is open till 11.00am i think and reopens a couple of hours later after they have cleaned all the facilities to an immaculate standard. They are available till 8.00pm for late arrivals but wont turn anyone away. The amount of on-site maintanence that is required due to thoughtless campers is a part of their routine - repairing stone walls where kids have clambered all over them in spite of notices, removing rubbish left on pitchers, mowing the grass on a huge site (even in october), running the well stocked shop, answering dumb questions and being the most helpful couple. They have almost no time to themselves - and this was in October when the site was not full. Their fees are not extortionate - their site is pristine, with showers like at home. They take 1 weeks holiday in the winter and then its back to site maintainance ... i wouldn't like it as a job...

They charge £8.35 - £14.10 per person per night - which is not unreasonable.

 

[Nabsim]

In my previous post where I put I was charged 18p for 2 days leccy use it was to illustrate that some CL’s do have metered connections and will charge for what you use. I believe that is the best way as if you use nothing you pay nothing. In the summer if there is a choice I will take a pitch with no Ehu as my solar is enough. In bad weather/winter it looks like I need power. If a site only offers ehu pitches as some cl,s I have stopped at do then I pay whatever the rate is.

Until very recently the only 240v device we had was the built in microwave (we have softened butter twice this year) appear from on board battery chargers. In October I bought an electric kettle as I knew I was going on a site for a weekend to meet up with a friend. If I need a pitch with ehu then I am happy to pay the charge, if I don’t need ehu then really I shouldn’t have to pay for it. It isn’t me being tight but the site owner not providing what customers need. The costs of providing any services are the business cost and the owners should factor this in to their business model. If people are charged for what they use then there can be no argument.

We stay on a site every few days when away to empty cassettes and fill with water and do washing and whatever else. We don’t need much other than this so cl’s are good in the uk as there isn’t really much else to use. If the cost of this is £5 or £25 then that’s what we pay, I don’t begrudge the costs and everyone needs to earn a shilling. Metering is the RIGHT way though.

 

[wildebus]

As I mentioned earlier. Why do we need 16amp hookups? How easy would it be to put in a hookup point with say a 6amp or 10amp switch that only the owner can set? £3 for 6amp or £7 for 10amp. That would focus the abusers a bit.

That is - IMO - precisely the way to do it.

My van has no gas (except for portable cooking outside) and I cook on an induction hob and heat water via a water heater - either would trip a 6A supply but that doesn't matter as I can use them on the battery anyway and overnight the battery charger will replenish the energy used.
In my earlier post I said I'd look at a 10A supply - in hindsight that is too high as a standard - 6A is sufficient for just about anything a camper is likely to NEED to plug in. It is enough for a 1kW heater even on top of having a battery charger plugged in.