A good question that I can't answer. Campsites have been charging us £5 per day for years when the cost of electricity used by us had been nothing near that.
They vary from site to site, but whatever they are, they are a total rip-off. I doubt whether anybody uses more than £2 or £3 a night, and most probably use less than £1. I'm talking about in summer of course, so that doesn't include heating. I know prices have gone up considerably since then but on a site with metered electricity back in 2019 we used an average of 20p a night. That was just for our fridge and battery charging though, and a small kettle.
We use all electric and rarely make use of gas, so all our energy usage is electric.
Unfortunately, Young Aunty suffers cold conditions that many would consider warm enough, even during summer, so we do need the use of a heater frequently.
From my own experience, I have found the fee we have normally been paying for electric pitch, reasonable. On the odd occasion we have had to be non-electric, we paid near enough the same for gas, with the added risk of running out during the evening.
Like most things, it depends on personal circumstances.
A commercial site will pay a lot more than a domestic site so bank on paying between £0.70 and £1 per kwh. In a 24 hour period probably about £5 or more. A commercial site cannot charge you any more per kwh than what they pay per kwh. The fine is severe so probably not worth them taking the chance?
Quote: Originally posted by Ancient Uncle on 08/3/2023
We use all electric and rarely make use of gas, so all our energy usage is electric.
Unfortunately, Young Aunty suffers cold conditions that many would consider warm enough, even during summer, so we do need the use of a heater frequently.
From my own experience, I have found the fee we have normally been paying for electric pitch, reasonable. On the odd occasion we have had to be non-electric, we paid near enough the same for gas, with the added risk of running out during the evening.
Like most things, it depends on personal circumstances.
It does indeed depend on personal circumstances.
We would use more now than we did back in 2019 as our cascade water heater, which was gas only, failed quite spectacularly one holiday and flooded the locker it was in, so I have replaced it with an all-electric one. It was considerably cheaper than having the old one repaired, and as we never go on sites without EHU except for maybe one night, we are paying through the nose for electricity anyway, so we might as well use it.
Quote: Originally posted by Newtoabbey on 08/3/2023
What is it going to cost for Electric on site this year?
A relatively small proportion of the overall fee, if EHU is included. If you’re paying at a meter, it’ll cost however much you use.
Piece of string question - you’ll see that no one has suggested £5 or 50p per night. The cost of diesel has impacted our trips more.
Quote: Originally posted by iank01 on 09/3/2023
A commercial site will pay a lot more than a domestic site so bank on paying between £0.70 and £1 per kwh. In a 24 hour period probably about £5 or more. A commercial site cannot charge you any more per kwh than what they pay per kwh. The fine is severe so probably not worth them taking the chance?
Standing charges for commercial and business users are also much higher. They can be many pounds per day.
Skybarn Farm CL charged us 37p per unit, over a basic £20pn. We paid nearly £4pn, for 7 days, using gas as much as possible. The owner told us that the price is going up next month.
To be honest, I had not paid much notice when I was booking my sites for this year's trip last year (I usually plan a year in advance).
I designed my van to use electricity for cooking, immersion heater for water and climate control; and diesel for heating and hot water.
Climate control is needed for cooling as well as heating.
I do not remember any significant price hikes that made me back off from a site, and all the sites I had booked charged per day and not per unit.
DK
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Quote: Originally posted by dk168 on 09/3/2023
To be honest, I had not paid much notice when I was booking my sites for this year's trip last year (I usually plan a year in advance).
I designed my van to use electricity for cooking, immersion heater for water and climate control; and diesel for heating and hot water.
Climate control is needed for cooling as well as heating.
I do not remember any significant price hikes that made me back off from a site, and all the sites I had booked charged per day and not per unit.
DK
Although I often moan about what sites charge for electricity, in reality we always go by the overall cost, including electricity and any other extras they decide to clobber us with, when we book sites. If the overall charge is more than we are prepared to pay, we go somewhere else. We don't book far ahead at all, often only a few days, so prices don't generally increase between our booking and arriving.
If a site decides to increase what they charge for electricity, this will obviously affect the overall cost and may well push them over our limit, so that will be one potential customer they have lost, and maybe many more.
A few days ago, Martin Lewis announced that the cost of energy has actually fallen recently but hasn't been passed on to the consumer which he's not happy about. If however in the near future this does happen it will be interesting to see if campsites reflect their EHU prices in line with the decrease which they should do. However, disregards how much the campsites electricity prices are, I still think that metered electricity is the best way forward as it stops selfish campers abusing the energy by leaving a heater on inside the awning all day long when they go out for the day. This is one of the problems as to why campsites have to increase their electricity prices due to a selfish minority and have been told this by quite a few land owners in the last 10 years.
Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 09/3/2023
A few days ago, Martin Lewis announced that the cost of energy has actually fallen recently but hasn't been passed on to the consumer which he's not happy about. If however in the near future this does happen it will be interesting to see if campsites reflect their EHU prices in line with the decrease which they should do. However, disregards how much the campsites electricity prices are, I still think that metered electricity is the best way forward as it stops selfish campers abusing the energy by leaving a heater on inside the awning all day long when they go out for the day. This is one of the problems as to why campsites have to increase their electricity prices due to a selfish minority and have been told this by quite a few land owners in the last 10 years.
I completely agree about metered electricity. I think the problem has become a vicious circle, with sites charging extortionate prices for an "electric pitch", this encourages people to think "well we are paying well over the odds for it so we might as well use what we are being charged for". I must admit that was one of the reasons we swapped our broken gas water heater for an electric one. Instead of using up our gas, we'll use what we are already paying for, so we are effectively getting our water heating "free" now. We used to switch off our gas water heater if we were going out for the day but we don't bother switching off the electric one so we now have hot water immediately when we get back. Site owners who don't provide meters may be making a rod for their own back. I certainly prefer to pay for what we use, and only what we use.
When we first started caravanning back in the 1970s, very few sites had EHU, and those that did always had coin meters. They were usually set ridiculously high, but when that practice was outlawed that was when they decided to get rid of the meters and have a fixed charge per night regardless of how much you used.
I know retail electricity prices continue to rise, but I do think the big hit on increased pitch fees was felt last year, and that I suspect included a factor for the well known supply cost increases anticipated for this year.
I wouldn't expect huge increases in pitch/EHU fees again this year, sites surely must be aware that the overall cost of a pitch is hitting many campers hard, and at least some are either cutting back on hols, or seeking the cheaper sites. I certainly look a lot harder at overall pitch fees, and will avoid the too expensive sites.
If wholesale electricity prices fall back as they should do, then metered sites will be forced to pass on that saving, as they are legally bound to only sell on at cost, BUT 'bundled' EHU fees and/or all inclusive pitch fees may well NOT drop back, sites will just pocket the extra profit!
£5/night for EHU more than covers the usage costs for the vast majority of users during summer months, chillier months where heating gets used, maybe a little more marginal, but on average over the season (many sites only open Spring-Autumn), they will have covered their costs and then some.
As to people heating awnings, can't justify it or see the logic of it myself, and pretty sure I don't know anyone amongst my MH/caravaning friends who does it, but do feel it's possible a bit of 'revenge usage', if you know you are being ripped off by excessive fixed EHU charges in excess of normal use, then you'll try and get your monies worth!
I certainly make use of the electric hob on my stove in preference to the other 3 gas hobs, and heat the water by electric rather than gas, if I'm paying for a fixed price EHU. I've done the sums, I KNOW my usage falls well below what I'm actually paying for, so why should I forgo electricity I'm paying dearly for to use expensive gas that I've got to pay for on top of EHU fees! If I were on a metered supply, I'd still use electricity in preference to gas, I know electricity is cheaper than gas per kWh.
Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 09/3/2023
A few days ago, Martin Lewis announced that the cost of energy has actually fallen recently but hasn't been passed on to the consumer which he's not happy about. If however in the near future this does happen it will be interesting to see if campsites reflect their EHU prices in line with the decrease which they should do. However, disregards how much the campsites electricity prices are, I still think that metered electricity is the best way forward as it stops selfish campers abusing the energy by leaving a heater on inside the awning all day long when they go out for the day. This is one of the problems as to why campsites have to increase their electricity prices due to a selfish minority and have been told this by quite a few land owners in the last 10 years.
Sadly if the site entered into a contract at the high rate, they may have no option except to pass that cost onto the customer. Most contracts are for anything between 1 and 3 years.
Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 09/3/2023
I know retail electricity prices continue to rise, but I do think the big hit on increased pitch fees was felt last year, and that I suspect included a factor for the well known supply cost increases anticipated for this year.
I wouldn't expect huge increases in pitch/EHU fees again this year, sites surely must be aware that the overall cost of a pitch is hitting many campers hard, and at least some are either cutting back on hols, or seeking the cheaper sites. I certainly look a lot harder at overall pitch fees, and will avoid the too expensive sites.
If wholesale electricity prices fall back as they should do, then metered sites will be forced to pass on that saving, as they are legally bound to only sell on at cost, BUT 'bundled' EHU fees and/or all inclusive pitch fees may well NOT drop back, sites will just pocket the extra profit!
£5/night for EHU more than covers the usage costs for the vast majority of users during summer months, chillier months where heating gets used, maybe a little more marginal, but on average over the season (many sites only open Spring-Autumn), they will have covered their costs and then some.
As to people heating awnings, can't justify it or see the logic of it myself, and pretty sure I don't know anyone amongst my MH/caravaning friends who does it, but do feel it's possible a bit of 'revenge usage', if you know you are being ripped off by excessive fixed EHU charges in excess of normal use, then you'll try and get your monies worth!
I certainly make use of the electric hob on my stove in preference to the other 3 gas hobs, and heat the water by electric rather than gas, if I'm paying for a fixed price EHU. I've done the sums, I KNOW my usage falls well below what I'm actually paying for, so why should I forgo electricity I'm paying dearly for to use expensive gas that I've got to pay for on top of EHU fees! If I were on a metered supply, I'd still use electricity in preference to gas, I know electricity is cheaper than gas per kWh.
Yes my thoughts exactly Monty15. I never mind paying for what I use, but I do object to paying for something I am not using. As for heating awnings, I never do that. I am most likely to use my awning in summer when heating isn't necessary, and if we do go away when the evenings are a bit on the chilly side, I probably won't take the awning anyway. We only really use it if we are staying anywhere for more than a week. There's only the two of us now and we don't even have our dog anymore, so do we really need it at all? I'm not sure that we do, as we haven't used it at all for the past two years. We never go on sites that charge extra for awnings, unless their other charges are so low that we are well within our budget anyway.
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Topic: EHU prices
via mobile 08/3/2023 at 10:06pm
