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That time of year is here, Southwest [...]
Talk to most owners or developers of long-term Snowbird or Winter Texas parks, and you do not have to work hard to convince them of the benefits of smart metering. Having their guest’s electric usage recorded and billed automatically is like a long-awaited dream come true. This is why companies like Sarasota Florida’s Wild Energy are an answer to long-term park owners’ prayers.
But what about transient parks? What is the benefit of smart metering at parks where the daily rate includes the cost of electricity? Well, the following may give you some food for thought.
Recently, I was speaking to an owner who was telling me about theft from a GM. The GM was allowing people to come off the road, pay him cash, and stay on the site for much less than the stated ADR. The owner lived several states away, and might not have ever discovered this, except for his smart meters.
He noticed a pattern of sites being empty on the booking grid but with electrical usage. With the pattern continuing regularly, it took just a surprise site visit to confirm his suspicions.
Uncovering the theft ended up being a surprise upside of his smart meters, it stopped the theft and allowed him to replace this team member before the losses became exorbitant.
Add to the above the excessive use that now comes with EV charging. You can state in your rules no EV charging, but if Guest Joe Smith decides to charge overnight, you may be none the wiser. However, with smart metering monitoring, this will be caught and will allow you to charge even the daily guest for the electrical costs. In addition, many parks are now able to allot a certain KW usage to daily guests, and then inform them any usage over this amount is added to their card on file.
Wild Energy has long been a preferred AOS vendor. Their cutting edge technology and monitoring add immediate value to any park and keep the cap on what is one of the most costly line items in any park’s P&L.
