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Mooring Options with Unmetered Electric


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My experience trundling around the network so far is that pre-paid card meters are very common but some marinas don't go there, either because their base mooring rate is high and covers the cost or because their location is unattractive for other reasons so they use 'free' hookup as a lure.

 

I am unaware of any list of unmetered marinas / mooring options.  So unless you can point me to one... let's make one here.  If you can also comment on the general costs of the marina and any attempts to impose rules over power use, that would also be informative.

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15 minutes ago, The Gravy Boater said:

My experience trundling around the network so far is that pre-paid card meters are very common but some marinas don't go there, either because their base mooring rate is high and covers the cost or because their location is unattractive for other reasons so they use 'free' hookup as a lure.

 

I am unaware of any list of unmetered marinas / mooring options.  So unless you can point me to one... let's make one here.  If you can also comment on the general costs of the marina and any attempts to impose rules over power use, that would also be informative.

Many marinas either use meters in the pedestals, or "Meter Maid" tyoe inline meters, and charge monthly or quarterly for electricity already used.

 

MP.,

 

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29 minutes ago, The Gravy Boater said:

My experience trundling around the network so far is that pre-paid card meters are very common but some marinas don't go there, either because their base mooring rate is high and covers the cost or because their location is unattractive for other reasons so they use 'free' hookup as a lure.

 

I am unaware of any list of unmetered marinas / mooring options.  So unless you can point me to one... let's make one here.  If you can also comment on the general costs of the marina and any attempts to impose rules over power use, that would also be informative.

 

Can't help with your list, but if the electrics come 'free' with the mooring, you might find there is a power limit. Couldn't say definitely, but I have come across the practice. Might trip at 6amp, or such, rather than 16amp. 

 

 

Edited by Higgs
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Just now, Higgs said:

 

Can't help with your list, but if the electrics come 'free' with the mooring, you might find there is a power limit. Couldn't say definitely, but I have come across the practice. Might trip at 6 amp, or such, rather than 16amp. 

 

 

I'm sure there are all sorts of shenanigans ;)

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18 minutes ago, Higgs said:

 

Can't help with your list, but if the electrics come 'free' with the mooring, you might find there is a power limit. Couldn't say definitely, but I have come across the practice. Might trip at 6amp, or such, rather than 16amp. 

 

 

 

That's how it was when we were at Braunston many many years ago. No charge for electricity but current was limited.

 

 

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Whilst I have come across marinas that include electricity in the dat mooring rate,  but for weekly, monthly, and annual the electricity is at cost, either on a meter of by pre pay card.   Are there any that include electricity in longer term mooring rates?

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6 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Whilst I have come across marinas that include electricity in the dat mooring rate,  but for weekly, monthly, and annual the electricity is at cost, either on a meter of by pre pay card.   Are there any that include electricity in longer term mooring rates?

There are... but I'm keeping my powder dry until there are more responses.

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18 minutes ago, StephenA said:

 

That's how it was when we were at Braunston many many years ago. No charge for electricity but current was limited.

 

 

Braunston is one of the Marinas I have stopped at overnight where it was unmetered but I have no information on how they meter longer term moorers.

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7 minutes ago, The Gravy Boater said:

Braunston is one of the Marinas I have stopped at overnight where it was unmetered but I have no information on how they meter longer term moorers.

 

When we were there they didn't - we were there for a few years.

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28 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I have stopped in many marinas paying between £10 and £30 a night, you get a mooring, showers, water etc etc and unlimited electric.

 

How much leccy can you use in (say)12 hours ?

Overnight is technically 24 hours, at least in my book... when I'm cruising my reason for going into a marina is to run my washing machine several times so... lots of leccy.  But as I think is becoming clear some marinas apply different rules for short term and long stay moorers.  The grey area is what constitutes short or long term, I guess.  I've stopped at a number of marinas where the weekly rate includes unmetered electric and also spoken to long term moorers in the same marinas that are unmetered.

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39 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I have stopped in many marinas paying between £10 and £30 a night, you get a mooring, showers, water etc etc and unlimited electric.

 

How much leccy can you use in (say)12 hours ?

At our rate of 14p per kwh about £1.80 on a 6A hookup. 

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10 minutes ago, nb Innisfree said:

At our rate of 14p per kwh about £1.80 on a 6A hookup. 

I concur. The mooring I have just given up after two and a half years has metered leccy. I had an all mains boat with a fridge, freezer, big washing machine etc etc etc and electric immersion heater, kettle etc etc as in a house and the max we ever used in a month was 60 squids but usualy well below fifty. Mains leccy is for nothing in other words and as its so bloody cheap its the one thing I am looking forward to when I move ashore in a house thingy soon. We charge 12 quid a night here overnight mooring without hook up and 15 with hook up so 3 quids is a sure profit and covers equipment maintanance over the years.

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1 hour ago, StephenA said:

 

No charge for electricity but current was limited.

 

 

Dirty.  I never really experienced this in my travels... the only time shoreline has tripped for me is when I've been running my desktop computer and washing machine and forgot the immersion heater was still on.  Maybe 2400 watts plus whatever the immersion draws.

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Supply of electricity is somewhat complicated in a commercial context as a result of legislation that aimed at stopping some very rip-off practices by landlords. As a result, it has to be charged at cost. This leaves the supplier with the question of how they recover the cost of making the supply (marina pedestals are not cheap).

 

Legitimately, they can charge what they like for the mooring, subject to market forces. Hence those capital costs are bundled up, whether made explicit or not.

 

At a guess, some places cannot be bothered with the very short term moorer, especially for electricity. There will always be some overhead cost for what is a tiny income on top of the day rate mooring fees. Not least, making the facility available at odd hours. They can always do the mooring remotely but if they supply via physical cards then they need to maintain a presence which some do not otherwise.

 

The question does have a flavour of wanting-something-for nowt so it is unsurprising that it seems as if there are few instances! What is wrong with limiting the current (so long as it is advertised) - every moorer has a limit set by the trip. Is that wrong? Having a special limit for casual moorers (who may well use a disproportionate amount) so long as it is clear up front?

 

Alan deE will no doubt be along shortly with more practical info!

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7 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

Alan deE will no doubt be along shortly with more practical info!

 

 

No, you've pretty much covered it.

Electricity must be supplied at cost, but the provider can add a service charge, to recoup their infrastructure investment.

It cost us £30,000 to put in the water, drainage, and electricity supply infrastructure on our (small) caravan park.

 

This legislation does NOT carry over to the use of electricity to charge electric vehicles where the provider can charge any amount they wish.

 

 

Screenshot (309).png

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On 08/05/2021 at 10:22, Mike Todd said:

Supply of electricity is somewhat complicated in a commercial context as a result of legislation that aimed at stopping some very rip-off practices by landlords. As a result, it has to be charged at cost. This leaves the supplier with the question of how they recover the cost of making the supply (marina pedestals are not cheap).

 

Legitimately, they can charge what they like for the mooring, subject to market forces. Hence those capital costs are bundled up, whether made explicit or not.

 

At a guess, some places cannot be bothered with the very short term moorer, especially for electricity. There will always be some overhead cost for what is a tiny income on top of the day rate mooring fees. Not least, making the facility available at odd hours. They can always do the mooring remotely but if they supply via physical cards then they need to maintain a presence which some do not otherwise.

 

The question does have a flavour of wanting-something-for nowt so it is unsurprising that it seems as if there are few instances! What is wrong with limiting the current (so long as it is advertised) - every moorer has a limit set by the trip. Is that wrong? Having a special limit for casual moorers (who may well use a disproportionate amount) so long as it is clear up front?

 

Alan deE will no doubt be along shortly with more practical info!

I would agree that there is nothing wrong or underhand about limiting the current so long as it is clearly advertised. 

 

I think you are correct about some operators not wanting to bother with metering short term mooring.  However there are some that do weekly and longer term mooring that is not metered - I think for the reasons I have previously stated - because the cost is covered by a higher base rate or because the mooring is remote, noisy or lacks full facilities so they use the leccy as a lure.  In this world you never get something for nothing, but if you want something in particular and are prepared to compromise on other aspects, you can find a good deal.

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13 hours ago, The Gravy Boater said:

I would agree that there is nothing wrong or underhand about limiting the current so long as it is clearly advertised. 

 

I think you are correct about some operators not wanting to bother with metering short term mooring.  However there are some that do weekly and longer term mooring that is not metered - I think for the reasons I have previously stated - because the cost is covered by a higher base rate or because the mooring is remote, noisy or lacks full facilities so they use the leccy as a lure.  In this world you never get something for nothing, but if you want something in particular and are prepared to compromise on other aspects, you can find a good deal.

Not my experience: anything to do with a canal boat is ether expensive, or eye wateringly expensive!

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On 07/05/2021 at 20:15, The Gravy Boater said:

My experience trundling around the network so far is that pre-paid card meters are very common but some marinas don't go there, either because their base mooring rate is high and covers the cost or because their location is unattractive for other reasons so they use 'free' hookup as a lure.

 

I am unaware of any list of unmetered marinas / mooring options.  So unless you can point me to one... let's make one here.  If you can also comment on the general costs of the marina and any attempts to impose rules over power use, that would also be informative.

 

Why are you looking specifically for unmetered electricity? That suggests that you are a high power user, unwilling to pay for what you use, and as such I'm not sure why any mooring provider would particularly want your business.

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