Marina Elect charges- advice pls?

mjf

mjf

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Over this past rather miserable and sometimes ultra cold (for UK) Winter my monthly bill has topped £100 some months.

The charge is 13p / kw hr + 5% vat
Plus 'facility charge' at 2.85p / kw hr +15% vat


This is at cost I'm advised.


Now my home in which i use loads more power each week is 1/3 of the cost with lighting, oven, washing/drying and dishwashers, etc etc.


On the boat used at weekends we use the oven a bit, use epers heating so no heating costs other than HW.

When left a greenhouse heater on frost guard and the fridge on low.

So the £7/8 a month average last year is history.


Ive queried the consumption and was told that mine is actually quite low.

I would be interested to hear what others reckon they spend on elect for their boat.
 
Your 17p per Kw all in is not too bad. However £100 a month seems massively OTT. It cost me less than half that to run my house!!!. To put it in perspective to get to £100 in a month you will have had to burn nearly 600 kw of power. Now there is around 720 hours in an average month so you will need to be using 0.8kw per hour, every hour of the month. day and night. When you are on the boat you will be using more and that depends how often you visit and how much you use when there.

Have you worked out what you are drawing when you are not on the boat. Batt charger, any frost heating, dehumidifier?, fridge. It can all easily add up. My money is on savings being able to be made when you are not on the boat, rather than when you are.
 
Thank for the reply.

i forgot to mention the smart charger but once the boat is left with batts all isolated thet will not draw much.

I agree its the when left power that needs some control - but the only difference between Summer and Winter mode is the diplex heater left on very low - I even checked out the thermostat to ensure it was not kicking out 500w when on. seems to be ok.

Only difference 2008/2009 is the temp was lower this year - recorded -7.3C outside in feb and 1.5C in the forward cabin
 
HOW MUCH !!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Just paid £54 for the last 12 months. Thats running dehumidifier and oil filled radiator set on frost setting October to April, battery charger all year and kettle a few times each weekend. Don't bother with fridges - its cold enough oop north!

Eddie
 
With everything switched off except a heater on frost protect our January bill was £89.00 /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

We certainly seem to pay more for our boat electricity than we do for our home even though our Marina say we get it at "cost"

It is on my "to do" list to draw up a proper comparison between home and boat

May
xx
 
If your frost protection amounts to 1kw or more, it is perfectly feasible that in a very cold month you could work up a bill like that. It would need to be for most of the month though! In actual fact a 700 watt device left on 24/7 for a month with electric at .18p per unit will cost £90 to run.
 
It stinks. I have to pay £3.75 per day plus Vat, regardless of how much I use.

I read somewhere that you should only be charged per unit what the supplier, in this case your marina, pay. However, they can charge what they like for connection!

The situation needs looking at and regulating, but in the grand scheme of matters that need fixing its not high on the list!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
It stinks. I have to pay £3.75 per day plus Vat, regardless of how much I use.

I read somewhere that you should only be charged per unit what the supplier, in this case your marina, pay. However, they can charge what they like for connection!

The situation needs looking at and regulating, but in the grand scheme of matters that need fixing its not high on the list!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I have just had a bill for 30 per unit - I posted recently for advice and was directed to the Ofgem website http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Media/PressRel/Archive/1359-r0503_13jan.pdf

I have written to the owners of the marina asking for an explanation why they are charging these rates in breach of the ofgem MRP.

Not had a reply yet!
 
Fireball

No checked that.

I read the meter on leaving and on boarding so have records and check that batts are iso and all 240v off except to plugs and charger.

maybh1

Thats roughly same as me and same items on.



Bloke next door P48 had a two week in the water elect bill of £54 and got the marina to put an in line meter to cross check the box meter.

I am thinking of getting a meter and doing similar as cannot understand how I use less Kw hours at home than on the boat.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I am thinking of getting a meter and doing similar as cannot understand how I use less Kw hours at home than on the boat.


[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like a plan ... either their meter is wrong or you're consuming elec you don't know you're consuming ...

I'd go down the same route - but getting elec to the swinging mooring is a bit tricky!! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
I've just dug out my last bill from MDL.

I average <1000 units per month, so my rate is 12.5p per unit, plus there is a Admin charge of £8.70, with 50% rebated for low use.

When on the boat in the marina everything - inc Microwave, kettle, immersion etc - all runs off it.

I turn everything non-essential off when leaving the boat - especially fridges (why pay to cool beer continuously when it will cool down in an hour when I next get to the boat?) and all that is left on is a dehumidifier on a timer - set to come on for 3 hours a day during the coldest part of the early morning.

The boat was dry as a bone and my electric bill was £22 for the entire winter quarter.
 
[ QUOTE ]
The boat was dry as a bone and my electric bill was £22 for the entire winter quarter.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are truly inspirational.... I guess I need to now buy a dehumidifier !! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
All I was trying to say, albeit in my usual long-winded way, is that if you leave loads of stuff turned on then you will obviously get a bigger bill. Turn off all unnecessary stuff and it is a lot easier on the pocket.

Marina leccy charges are high, but many of them are locked into contracts with their suppliers that were negotiated when prices were much higher last year - and that has to be passed on to us, their own consumers.
 
As mentioned on the other thread (cheque from MDL), which was shamelessly diverted from the original topic, marinas are paying a full commercial rate for power, to supply to the clients.

Meters are accurate or they completely stop working, nothing in between. I would not like to be in a situation where there was no meter.
It should be used by the berth holder as much as the staff, to moniter proceedings.
To supply and install meters to 70 berths (5 years ago) was $50,000.
Our folks are paying around 20 pence per unit, we have the dearest state supplied power in the country.
During our winter time, you can nearly hear the meters spinning. No doubt the same in your country.

I bill monthly to keep things closely monitered, and can assure you there is nothing to be made from power supply, except convenience for the client. Just more admin.

As others have said, shut down the appliances you do not deem essential.
 
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