Marina, cost of electricity?

[Ian_Edwards]

I've posted about this before, about this time last year, and got a whole range of conflicting answers.
This is slightly different.
I've just return to Clyde Marina. Lift out next Wednesday. I'll be on board until then.
The Marina used a prepaid swipe card system, you buy a lump of kWhs, no idea what the cost per unit is, I'll work the out later.
When you first add kWhs to your card the instruction is to use a zero card first. This resets the meter read to 0.
But what happens to the kWhs left by the previous occupant of the birth?
In effect this is just clear profit for the Marina.
Is this legal?
Can I legitimately just use the left over electricity?

 

[Minerva]

One would hope that the unused units remain on the previous customers’ card for a future use. Appreciate in many instances this will be a net result of pure profit to the marina.

 

[Ian_Edwards]

Once you've added the kWhs to the meter, the card is "empty ".There no way of crediting the unused units back onto the card.

 

[dunedin]

Plug in and see if it works.
When it runs out use your card to top up. That would be my approach

 

[mil1194]

Plug in and see if it works.
When it runs out use your card to top up. That would be my approach

This is how Swansea marina works. You can zero it and recharge with your card but all credits are lost. If you know you have units left and want to move berth you enter the card while holding the button and the credit are reloaded onto the card - but it has to be the card that originally added the credits. I had a situation on my permanent berth when I went to Padstow for a week, a visitor had been placed on my pontoon and they’d added their own credits and left me with over 300kwh - they had gone and I used the credits. Nobody ever mentioned it to me.

Edited to say - had I known who was on my berth etc then I would happily have paid them for the units as I would have ultimately needed them.

 

[Minerva]

Once you've added the kWhs to the meter, the card is "empty ".There no way of crediting the unused units back onto the card.

Well in that case I’d do this;

Plug in and see if it works.
When it runs out use your card to top up. That would be my approach

Without the slightest hint of remorse!

 

[mil1194]

Once you've added the kWhs to the meter, the card is "empty ".There no way of crediting the unused units back onto the card.

Are you sure? With us in Swansea you can remove the credits but they will only go onto the card that originally applied them - which stops you going around the marina pinching other people’s leccy!

 

[PaulRainbow]

Are you sure? With us in Swansea you can remove the credits but they will only go onto the card that originally applied them.

Depends, some systems use a one time use card, like the old domestic PAYG cards, others are like yours (and mine).

 

[Ian_Edwards]

Interesting, the Marina, unsurprisingly, don't make any mention of been able to add used kWhs back onto the card.
I'll look at the machine on the pontoon and see I can find a user's manual.
I know that pontoon staff can use a special card, and add kWhs, free of charge, so the machine must be reasonably sophisticated.

 

[PaulRainbow]

I've posted about this before, about this time last year, and got a whole range of conflicting answers.
This is slightly different.
I've just return to Clyde Marina. Lift out next Wednesday. I'll be on board until then.
The Marina used a prepaid swipe card system, you buy a lump of kWhs, no idea what the cost per unit is, I'll work the out later.
When you first add kWhs to your card the instruction is to use a zero card first. This resets the meter read to 0.
But what happens to the kWhs left by the previous occupant of the birth?
In effect this is just clear profit for the Marina.
Is this legal?
Can I legitimately just use the left over electricity?

Assuming you have a credit card style card that you take to the marina office and get them to put credit on....

That's what we have.

Take the card to the office and add credit to it, then put it in the meter and the credit transfers to the meter. If you're going away, press and hold the red button, put the card in, wait a couple of seconds, remove card (all the while holding the red button). Anything on the meter goes back on the card.

You can only put credit back on the card that was used to add it to the meter, for obvious reasons.

If there is some credit left on the meter from a previous card you cannot get it off, the marina has to do that. You can, however, use it until it runs out and then add your own.

If the credit was left behind by a visitor it's been paid for, the visitor isn't coming back to use it and the marina has been paid, so no-one is being robbed.

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

Interesting, the Marina, unsurprisingly, don't make any mention of been able to add used kWhs back onto the card.
I'll look at the machine on the pontoon and see I can find a user's manual.
I know that pontoon staff can use a special card, and add kWhs, free of charge, so the machine must be reasonably sophisticated.

If this or similar, Unused units can be reloaded to the card.
SmartCard Metering | Rolec Services Ltd
As stated by others

 

[mil1194]

Assuming you have a credit card style card that you take to the marina office and get them to put credit on....

That's what we have.

Take the card to the office and add credit to it, then put in the and the credit transfers to the meter. If you're going away, press and hold the red button, put the card in, wait a couple of seconds, remove card (all the while holding the red button). Anything on the meter goes back on the card.

You can only put credit back on the card that was used to add it to the meter, for obvious reasons.

If there is some credit left on the meter from a previous card you cannot get it off, the marina has to do that. You can, however, use it until it runs out and then add your own.

If the credit was left behind by a visitor it's been paid for, the visitor isn't coming back to use it and the marina has been paid, so no-one is being robbed.

I couldn’t have described our system better lol - and you’ve saved me the bother! Thanks

 

[Bristolfashion]

The system we had when we were at haslar was excellent - you had an on line account, added cash as required, switched off access when not there and, at the end, transferred any balance back to your account . Simple

Being able to see if your account has as running low whilst away was handy.

All we need is all marinas to adopt the same system - rock up, connect your account to "Portishead, plug 27" or whatever and off you go.

 

[Daydream believer]

All we need is all marinas to adopt the same system - rock up, connect your account to "Portishead, plug 27" or whatever and off you go.

Rubbish
What we really want is electric included in with the berthing fee & no sodding about.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Rubbish
What we really want is electric included in with the berthing fee & no sodding about.

That is how my mooring works. at the moment A levy that covers water, electricy and maintenance.

The club is now trying to add meters for electracy to be charged separate, but the question is "will the levy be reduced to compensate to the payment of electracy separate. "I doubt it.

As I don't use much electricy if any from the mains on my mooring it could benfit me if they do reduce the water, maintainance levy

 

[johnalison]

Rubbish
What we really want is electric included in with the berthing fee & no sodding about.

Not on your Nellie. I don’t want to pay your electric bill every time you turn up in your 60’ powerboat and turn everything on, air-conditioning, jacuzzi and all.

One of the joys of foreign cruising in particular is the variety of systems and the joy of working out how each one functions. There is something to be said for those that take coins, and wasting a few cents is easily compensated for by turning up somewhere and finding credit still in the meter. Some systems, such as at Stralsund are so delightfully complicated that although it will return money to your card most people can’t get the hang of it and there is always a good chance of picking up the crumbs. The only perfect system I found was at Cuxhaven, where cards can be bought at any time of day or night under cover, and these cards, which also give access to the sanitation and pay for showers, will also redeem your account when you leave, also at any time.

 

[Daverw]

The system we had when we were at haslar was excellent - you had an on line account, added cash as required, switched off access when not there and, at the end, transferred any balance back to your account . Simple

Being able to see if your account has as running low whilst away was handy.

All we need is all marinas to adopt the same system - rock up, connect your account to "Portishead, plug 27" or whatever and off you go.

We at Hull Marina have similar, on line account allocated to our pontoon tower, top up online and at anytime see daily usage and actual cost, if we unplug it switches off and when plugged back in needs to be reset on line in my account so no one can just plug in, also can switch off remotely if needed to

 

[colind3782]

Rubbish
What we really want is electric included in with the berthing fee & no sodding about.

I don't think so. Although our water and electricity is included, we are only there for 2-3 months of the year, yet we pay the same as the liveaboards and the "every" weekenders.

 

[Daydream believer]

I don't think so. Although our water and electricity is included, we are only there for 2-3 months of the year, yet we pay the same as the liveaboards and the "every" weekenders.

Are you really that "Picky"? Life must be difficult. Now there is no fuel allowance, rates are going up & phone bill is due
You have not thought about the fact that you are an "every" weekender yourself, somewhere else. Or are you a tightwad anchor freak?

 

[Alicatt]

We use an app on the phone called "An Uit" (On Off) you enter the meter number when you plug in and that remotely switches on the leccy, when you leave you log in again with the app and switch it off and the amount of kW you used is billed to you.

Heusden Marina you paid €29 for the overnight berth and that included the electricity and water, showers etc.
Following night was in Veghel it was €20 for the night and the leccy meter had a 50cent coin slot which lasted until just before we left.
Bocholt Haven charge €12 per night, that includes leccy and use of the showers but it is very basic.
In Pelt the meters are not working and don't charge you for the leccy, also the machine where you pay for the berth does not work, so basically we have had a few free nights there