electricity supplement

[Danny400]

Hi Guys

I was wondering if anyone else feels that it would be a good option to have the choice of adding an electricity supplement in the ''additional charges''  section rather than just increasing the prices. 

I am sure some of you have noticed that the electricity prices have shot up over 50% (uk and Europe) and it is affecting the viability of the holiday let market, with this in mind I would love to know if anyone has ideas on how to find a resolve that could be satisfactory to us hosts but also understandable for the guest.

thanks

Danny

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Danny400 I think adding a supplement would be an administrative nightmare and be likely to put guests off as they will never know what they might have to pay.

I don't know why you think the viability of the holiday market is threatened by high fuel prices. Hosts will  need to increase their prices just like the hotels and supermarkets are. Now whether inflation will cause people to stop going on holiday - Well thats another question altogether........

[Debra300]

@Danny400 and @Mike-And-Jane0,

Last year, we installed meters for each of the guesthouse studios, and inform our guests of the local price per kilowatt.  On other platforms I charge a separate electricity fee to encourage guests to responsibly use energy.  On stays that are longer than a week, we offer to refund any unused amounts or collect for overages at checkout.  Comparing the 2019-20 peak season vs the current 2021-22 season, there has been over a 30% drop in the electricity bill although we had more nights booked this past December to February than two years ago.  Thus far, we've not had to issue a refund or collect more from guests.  

[Amanda660]

@Danny400 last weekend our booking of a party of 7 guests left every window in the house wide open the entire time with the radiators cranked up to  high in every room.

Unfortunately our guests do this a lot, looks like I’m simply going to have to increase the nighty rate in the winter months. 

[Ruth939]

@Amanda660 I have the same problem.  We are all electric and I had guests last week that checked out and left every heater on at max and the windows open.  When I went in to clean the place was like an oven despite the open windows.  I think they must have had it like this all week.  Because this type of heating is pricey and can't be controlled on a central timer switch, I specifically ask guests to turn everything off when they go out and to be mindful of the energy consumption.  Only in the colder months do I suggest that just the lounge and bathroom heaters are left on.   

My energy provider has just informed me that my annual bill will be doubling to £3000 per year and I really don't know how I am going to pass this on to my guests?  I don't want to punish my responsible guests for the inconsiderate ones.  

I take a meter reading between guests so that I can build up an accurate picture of what people use and it fluctuates wildly from £20 per week to one family who racked up £120 in a week!  Some people seem to like really hot houses! 

I have considered a prepay meter with a generous amount and if guests over use, they will have to top up, but I feel that this is just going to bring a whole lot of other trouble with bad reviews etc.

[Amanda660]

@Ruth939 I know there are set ups where you can add sensors  to windows that cut the heating off if they are left open when the heating is running but I’m not sure if similar could be set up with electric heating. 

Our oil went down to 27p

during Covid and was 102p this week the only Saving Grace is that it’s approaching spring so the usage drops.  

[Marge46]

I would send them the meter reading and charge them a fee. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Ruth939 if £120 is the worst amount per week this seems bearable although obviously ridiculous. Hopefully the majority of your guests are more reasonable. Most of out guests are OK - Just the odd ones who turn the central heating up to 28 degrees!

[Patti120]

There is an increased usage in our Airbnb with people charging their electric cars. The cost is significant as electricity costs have increased in the USA too. It would be helpful if Airbnb would have a car electricity fuel charge option that the host could charge to help pay for the electric fuel guests are using. Similar to a pet fee, if the guest will be charging their car I am optimistic they won't mind paying the fee. 

[Huma0]

@Patti120 

I think that sounds reasonable to me. You are responsible for supplying electricity for the Airbnb they have rented, not the fuel for their car, whether that's electricity or anything else. Guests should absolutely pay for that themselves.

[Stephen1196]

This is my first post on the Airbnb forum. I'm pleased that I am not the only host concerned about this issue. Last week my gas and electricity supplier costs literally doubled. I am reluctant to put up prices. However, some guests I've had turn up the thermostat to max and leave it like that 24/7 even when they are out for the whole day. I'm not sure what to do, I was hoping Airbnb might have a solution for totally excessive and careless consumption.

I have a smart meter app so I can see daily use of gas and electicity, which I admit has not been a major concern until now. 

I'm thinking maybe Airbnb could introduce an inclusive amount to be set by the host, then that would leave the way clear to apply a surcharge at the end of stay if necessary.

[Marge46]

We've installed Google Nest thermostats here in US, and these can be controlled via an app on your phone. You can have it set up so the temps automatically lower at night and raise in the morning.  These can be temporarily over-ridden by the guests but it'll go back to your next setting when the time comes. You might want to have several of them set throughout the day. Let's say 9pm the temps are set to drop, then drop again at 1am, then rise at 6am, then rise a little more at 9am, then drop again by a degree or so at noon, and again at 3pm, etc. So if the guest cranks it up at 10am, the thermostat will reset to drop it at noon to your desired specifications. Id' check these though from time to time though and see if it's working correctly for you, because after all, it's a learning thermostat, so it can make its own adjustments based on what guests are doing. Also it has a feature where it detects if someone is home and acts accordingly. 

I do have to say that when I was staying in England, the houses were kept much colder there than anywhere else I have travelled to, so don't expect your guests to endure your quarters to be at 65degrees or less the entire time. If it's too cold then the guests will crank it up for sure. 

[Masha1]

I am very, very concerned about this issue.  Energy prices have spiked 30% in my county.  Could you tell me where you got your smart thermostat?  I need to see daily use and I need to be able to monitor that use remotely.  Thanks!!

[Valentine92]

The Electricity abuse/theft is brutal nowadays. Got a group that Literally consumed monthly almost what I get paid for.

In that extreme cases, you Keep a Damage/Misuse/theft Deposit. 

[David3793]

@Danny400 Our guests have just left after 5 nights and their average electric usage was £20 per day under the new pricing regime. It was a family of four. We’re all electric and have modern panel heaters we can control via an app which is useful. But it’s been cold here recently and I do want our guests to be comfortable so have set the heating at 18 to 20 degrees, plus they can boost this if they want. Then there were probably four showers a day and cooking. Maybe they had a hybrid car they could charge at our expense overnight? I’m not sure about a supplement as then guests may think it’s OK to burn as much electricity as they like. Maybe it would be better to be able to show the guest how much of the nightly tariff is being allocated to fuel charges.
e.g. £120 per night tariff which includes £20 toward the daily fuel costs?