Other people wasting my money!!!

htrj

I run holiday rental property and despite trying all tricks in the book to get guest to stop wasting energy and therefore my money the majority of them just continue to do so. The lights get left on all night, I regularly find just one pair of Y fronts whizzing around the washing machine on a full load 60c wash and inevitably the dishwasher goes on after every meal and then once again as they go to bed - just for good measure!!!

Some guest do use the services responsibly and I like to provide these things in order to attract business and maintain a high standard of service so I do not want to remove them. I am waiting for coin mechanisms to fit to the washing machines but at 300 pounds each I dont want to fit them to every white good in the house.

Does anyone know of a reasonably priced service where I could record each light that gets turned on and for how long and everytime the washing machine gets turned etc? I know the iphone allowed something like this but it cost a bomb to install, is the a cheaper alternative?

ged1980

htrj wrote: »

I run holiday rental property and despite trying all tricks in the book to get guest to stop wasting energy and therefore my money the majority of them just continue to do so. The lights get left on all night, I regularly find just one pair of Y fronts whizzing around the washing machine on a full load 60c wash and inevitably the dishwasher goes on after every meal and then once again as they go to bed - just for good measure!!!

Some guest do use the services responsibly and I like to provide these things in order to attract business and maintain a high standard of service so I do not want to remove them. I am waiting for coin mechanisms to fit to the washing machines but at 300 pounds each I dont want to fit them to every white good in the house.

Does anyone know of a reasonably priced service where I could record each light that gets turned on and for how long and everytime the washing machine gets turned etc? I know the iphone allowed something like this but it cost a bomb to install, is the a cheaper alternative?

If you look at it from the guests view they are paying for the elec ect in the price they pay you and on holiday so they wont care and you will have looked at the elec ect getting used when you made your prices.


You can look again what you charge and put the price up to meet costs if its not enough or be like butlins ect and put meters in where the guest pays for the elec they use pay as you use meter

downshifter

As Ged says. We ensure the overall price of the property covers any possible use of electricity. But as an alternative, put a coin meter into the property (attached to the main meter and for all uses, not just per appliance) - much cheaper and as long as you warn customers in advance, they will know and be prepared.

But personally, that always looks a bit Butlinesque, so we just ensure our prices cover potential use of electricity, water and so on.

DS

DVardysShadow

downshifter wrote: »

As Ged says. We ensure the overall price of the property covers any possible use of electricity. But as an alternative, put a coin meter into the property (attached to the main meter and for all uses, not just per appliance) - much cheaper and as long as you warn customers in advance, they will know and be prepared.

But personally, that always looks a bit Butlinesque, so we just ensure our prices cover potential use of electricity, water and so on.

DS

This is about the only thing you can do. But be warned, it takes your property down market!!!

gravitytolls

When we stayed in Ireland, the owner read the meters before we left and charged us for our usage ~ it was very reasonable, and we were more than happy to pay for what we used, rather than an inflated rental price.

htrj

So i think we are all agreed that meters and coin mechs degrade the property. I should have mentioned that our tariff has been set to include use of utilities taken as an average between heavy and low users but I can't help but see it as unfair to charge responsible users for the wastefulness of others, particularly when this market is so price sensitive.

downshifter

From your point of view it does seem unfair, and I agree, but from the holidaymaker's point of view they know they just pay the price for their week's holiday and don't have to worry about coins for the meter and they certainly don't think about whether other holidaymakers are more or less wasteful of the electricity. As long as they have a good time that's all that would matter to them, so if your properties are comfortable, clean and of good quality and everything works, and they don't have to call you out because there's a plumbing problem or the dishwasher has run out of tablets or all the similar things, then you will be providing good overall value for money - and it will show in your tripadvisor ratings and therefore the prices you charge.

david39

Why not install one of those systems where the supply of electricity into the apartment is dependent upon the key fob being placed into a slot near the front door?

That way, lights will only be burnt while people are on the premises and washing will also be more economically done, - the machine will only work while the guests are on the premises, and they will not want to hang around for half an hour while one pair of Y-fronts is washed nor will they want the noise of the machine constantly disturbing them while they are in so they'll do the washing in one large load rather than many small ones.

I don't know the cost of installing this type of system but it is widely used abroad in holiday apartments.

RadoJo

I have to say, I would be really annoyed if I stayed somewhere where the electricity only worked whilst I was there - there is nothing wrong with putting a load of laundry or dishes on whilst you are out and I personally wouldn't stay somewhere that imposed that kind of system.

OP - the idea of taking meter readings at the beginning and end of each stay seems fair, so long as this is in your Ts and Cs when they make the booking. You can charge people for what they use and knowing that will encourage people to be a little more energy efficient while they stay with you.

I have to ask though, how do you know that they are only washing one pair of pants? :-)

hock79

Can I ask if you supply dishwasher and laundry powder for guests to use? Perhaps if they buy their own they would not be so wasteful.

I think the idea of the key fob thing that turns the leccy on when you're indoors, like hotels have, is a good one.

ailuro2

I refuse to book a property that has an electric meter, or one that charges for electricity by meter - it's not because I wash one pair of pants at a time or leave lights on all night, it's because I don't like the way they think about their business (or not as the case may be - trying every trick in the book? I would notice that and you'd get no repeat business from me).

I think any owner who is incapable of building the cost of fuel into the cost of rental will not be running the rest of their business well, so I don't book. Simples. There are lots of other properties to choose from, and I can afford a few quid more for one that appears well run.

Paying £300 for a coin slot for a washing machine is ridiculous -http://www.sust-it.net/energy_saving.php?id=1 <---have a look here - and yes I do agree that all those little 20 pences add up, but it's going to take a long time for it to get to £300....

I'd add a fiver onto the cost of each rental to cover your extra bills, and then let them use the machine whenever they like. Likewise , fit some energy saving bulbs and even being left on 24/7 it will still be 4 days before it uses ONE UNIT of electricity...

consider changing the tariff in winter to reflect the higher heating costs.