Electricity Charges at Marinas

[tico]

Ours has just gone up from 8p(+5%VAT) + 8p(+15% VAT) / unit to 10p(+5%VAT) + 10p(+17.5%VAT), so total of 22.25p/unit!

jeez, no wonder the bill is so big!

I don't mind the leccy charge , but that level of service charge really p's me off!

Are there any restrictions as to what they can charge as a service charge??
This is in a Lymington YH marina.
What do you pay??

 

[sailorman]

Ours has just gone up from 8p(+5%VAT) + 8p(+15% VAT) / unit to 10p(+5%VAT) + 10p(+17.5%VAT), so total of 22.25p/unit!

jeez, no wonder the bill is so big!

I don't mind the leccy charge , but that level of service charge really p's me off!

Are there any restrictions as to what they can charge as a service charge??
This is in a Lymington YH marina.
What do you pay??

look on the OffWatt or what ever site

 

[SolentPhill]

I have had it confirmed that they marinas cant charge anymore than they pay for electric, its a question of what they get away with in charges.

through my business I have a yard and I get a 3 monthly bill for electric and it is charged at 5.5p per unit.

Yes I understand tube heaters switch off but rarely as they dont generate a lot of heat around them. My house is charged at 10p a unit.

I know its only pennies but if you add it up over a 24hr period it adds up. ie Im paying £54 per heater per month Premier Charge £42 a month. I have 3 heaters on my boat so Im paying more and if you say 3 heaters 5 months thats a saving of £180 for the same product.

 

[John100156]

Premier marina charge 7.88 per unit plus 1.92 total is 9.80 per unit. Ive done some maths and a 200w tube heater uses 4.8 units per day

Mmmm
200w = 0.2kW
0.2kW x 24 hours = 4.8kWh or units
4.8kWh x 9.8p = 47p/day
47p x 31 days = £14.58 per heater per month

But you then said:

....I know its only pennies but if you add it up over a 24hr period it adds up. ie Im paying £54 per heater per month....

Its only £14.58 per heater, per month, not £54 per heater per month!

So, for three heaters for 5 months £218.70

Obviously, if you could buy for say 5p/kWh you would reduce this almost by half to £7.44 per heater per month, so 3 heaters at 5 months would be £111.60, the difference is therefore only £ 107.10 not £180 or £21.42 per month!

The above assumes all 3 heaters would be working constantly 24 hours a day for 5 months, extremely unlikely. I would put it to you the difference would more nearly be like £50 around £10 per month!

However, thats just the maths. I do take your point and do agree. Excessive charges are not acceptable and I would expect to reimburse the marina only at cost and would hope they would negotiate the best tarrif on my behalf!

 

[ianj99]

I pay 11p / unit + £82 per annum charge in the marina in Argyll.

11p is about the same as I pay at home in Northumberland.

I'd rather be on the boat than snow bound at home though!!an
Ian

 

[BlueSkyNick]

I have had it confirmed that they marinas cant charge anymore than they pay for electric,

sorry to tell you this, but I can confirm that a marina can charge what unit rate it likes.

The law to avoid overcharging was brought in a few years ago to protect tenants of houses where they had no option but to use the electricity being provided by the landlord, ie to prevent the landlord exploiting the resident.

Subsequently, the BMF argued that not only is use of a marina berth optional, but so is the use of electricity itself. Thus the boat owner (ie tenant) is not totally dependant on the marina (landlord) for essential domestic purposes.

 

[BlueSkyNick]

Ours has just gone up from 8p(+5%VAT) + 8p(+15% VAT) / unit to 10p(+5%VAT) + 10p(+17.5%VAT), so total of 22.25p/unit!

jeez, no wonder the bill is so big!

I don't mind the leccy charge , but that level of service charge really p's me off!

Are there any restrictions as to what they can charge as a service charge??
This is in a Lymington YH marina.
What do you pay??

I dont understand this. our boat is in LYH too, and our last bill (18/12) shows
electricity units @ 9.9p (+5%)
service charge for same units @ 6.7p (+15%vat)

this equates to 18.1p at old vat, 18.2p at new Vat.

I hope they are not applying different rates to different boats !

 

[tico]

Thanks Nick
could you check with yr marina if they are changing the rates? If not, then it gives me some leverage.
BTW.... its Neyland marina but owned by LYH,
Thx

 

[neale]

sorry to tell you this, but I can confirm that a marina can charge what unit rate it likes.

The law to avoid overcharging was brought in a few years ago to protect tenants of houses where they had no option but to use the electricity being provided by the landlord, ie to prevent the landlord exploiting the resident.

Subsequently, the BMF argued that not only is use of a marina berth optional, but so is the use of electricity itself. Thus the boat owner (ie tenant) is not totally dependant on the marina (landlord) for essential domestic purposes.

Not sure I agree, but I may be reading wrong or things may have changed.

This is from a press release issued by Ofgem in 2003:

2. The Maximum Resale Price (MRP) is the price that a landlord can charge tenants for gas and electricity. It applies, for example, to tenants living in rented accommodation as well as to gas and electricity resold to occupants of park homes, holiday caravans and chalets, and marina berths. It is set by Ofgem.

3. MRP applies only to electricity and gas sold for domestic use.

4. With effect from 1 January 2003 the MRP for both gas and electrcity will be the price per kilowatt hour that the landlord has paid, plus, in the case of each customer, a proportionate share of the standing charge.

 

[tico]

yes N , thats the thing, they can only resell the leccy at cost, but its the 'Service charge' that they wack on top

 

[SolentPhill]

Not sure I agree, but I may be reading wrong or things may have changed.

This is from a press release issued by Ofgem in 2003:

2. The Maximum Resale Price (MRP) is the price that a landlord can charge tenants for gas and electricity. It applies, for example, to tenants living in rented accommodation as well as to gas and electricity resold to occupants of park homes, holiday caravans and chalets, and marina berths. It is set by Ofgem.

3. MRP applies only to electricity and gas sold for domestic use.

4. With effect from 1 January 2003 the MRP for both gas and electrcity will be the price per kilowatt hour that the landlord has paid, plus, in the case of each customer, a proportionate share of the standing charge.

A standing charge this is for what?? reading the meter and sending you a bill, they pay their bill anyway and get back individuals part. so it should be a fixed fee for the reading and sending a bill say £2 to cover the postage and banking etc

 

[SolentPhill]

Mmmm
200w = 0.2kW
0.2kW x 24 hours = 4.8kWh or units
4.8kWh x 9.8p = 47p/day
47p x 31 days = £14.58 per heater per month

But you then said:



Its only £14.58 per heater, per month, not £54 per heater per month!

So, for three heaters for 5 months £218.70

Obviously, if you could buy for say 5p/kWh you would reduce this almost by half to £7.44 per heater per month, so 3 heaters at 5 months would be £111.60, the difference is therefore only £ 107.10 not £180 or £21.42 per month!

The above assumes all 3 heaters would be working constantly 24 hours a day for 5 months, extremely unlikely. I would put it to you the difference would more nearly be like £50 around £10 per month!

However, thats just the maths. I do take your point and do agree. Excessive charges are not acceptable and I would expect to reimburse the marina only at cost and would hope they would negotiate the best tarrif on my behalf!

Hi John

my original post at the top states Im charged 12.5p per unit thats what I worked it out on

 

[ianj99]

Some marinas make an annual service charge or let you pay this on a per unit used basis.
The former is for larger all-year-round users and the latter for casual/weekenders & visitors.

 

[John100156]

Hi John my original post at the top states Im charged 12.5p per unit, thats what I worked it out on

Hi Phil,

Yes, the difference would then increase to £167.40 closer to the £180, but I still think it's unlikely the heaters would run 24 hours a day for 5 months of the year!

Mind you, if this weather keeps up......

What I find most intriguing is the significant variation in charges stated by many forumites in this thread. I suppose all marina’s factor in different amounts to cover maintenance and service costs and the like, I wish they would all do as MDL have done in Sant Carles – it would then be easier to compare berthing costs like-for-like!

What with costs for lifts, washes, on the dry, anode changes, antifouling, fuel, electricity to name but a few variables, we will soon all need a Masters degree to work out the best deal/location!