HELP: Do you have electric hook-ups for RV storage?

Corral_Storage

Looking for input from anyone who has had or does have electric hook-ups for their RV spaces. How much extra do you charge compared to your spaces without electric hook-ups? Do you pass the costs onto the customer or does your increased rental rate cover the extra electrical costs? If the cost is paid for by the customer, do you monitor usage with individual meters or estimate?

We've had a lot of interest in this and since we are expanding our covered RV parking anyway, we'll most likely be adding electric hook ups.

Thanks in advance!

themage

Our premium fully enclosed RV units have power hookups. The first 8 kWh is included in the rent, charge per kWh after with individual meter on each unit. 

If you do supply hookups, just have to make sure no one starts living there. If the hookup can be connected from another space, you have to have a way to be sure the right person is being charged for the power. (Don't want person in spot 2 hooking up to spot 1's power)

Corral_Storage

themage said:

Our premium fully enclosed RV units have power hookups. The first 8 kWh is included in the rent, charge per kWh after with individual meter on each unit. 

If you do supply hookups, just have to make sure no one starts living there. If the hookup can be connected from another space, you have to have a way to be sure the right person is being charged for the power. (Don't want person in spot 2 hooking up to spot 1's power)

Thanks for the response! So are each of your individual hook-ups metered so you can monitor the usage? If not, how do you monitor who has gone over your 8 kWh threshold?

Also, thanks for the other tips. Ensuring only the correct customer uses the hook-up is something we've been thinking hard about.

themage

Yes, each of our hookups has it's own meter. We check them the 1st of the month and add any fees to the rent. When the tenant moves out, we get the up to the minute reading and add that, if necessary.

Corral_Storage

themage said:

Yes, each of our hookups has it's own meter. We check them the 1st of the month and add any fees to the rent. When the tenant moves out, we get the up to the minute reading and add that, if necessary.

Thanks for your input! This is a great help.

Faye

I'm curious, besides keeping the battery on a trickle charger what are some other uses for the electric? I'm also curious what the average cost per month for each tenant is. Thank you in advance for any input.

themage

Some of our tenants like to keep their equipment warm in the winter or use the enclosed units as a mini warehouse. For vehicles stored long term, it is nice to be able to inflate tires, too. One of them occasionally (with our permission) used it to run his amps and equipment for music practice. Rarely an RV or truck will have special equipment and cycle the air conditioning, tank heaters, block or oil heater (though it doesn't get that cold here) on a regular basis.

Most of our tenants don't exceed the 8kWh per month. Those that have usually ended up owing $10 or less. 

Orkocean

Been years since I ran a site that offered it but back then if I remember correctly 50amp was an extra $30 a month, no meters, we just had a list of who paid for the service and if anyone was plugged in that shouldn't be they got a phone call, if they ignored/refused to unhook it they would get their plugs yanked. Repeat offenders would get the charge and they could pay it or leave as we always had a waiting list.