Ehu's (1 Viewer)

[Big Nick]

Is it weird to gear all your motorhoming around not having any hook up?

I really like the self sufficiency of managing your power and living without wires!

We stayed on a CL last weekend that had EHU's but we didn't use it (saving £3 a night in the process) and the owner looked at us in disbelief making me feel it was a strange thing to do!

We have 2 leisure batteries, a 120w solar panel, 2 refillable decent sized lpg bottles, a 12v tv and car chargers for our gadgets so I don't feel we really need to plug in

 

[TheCaller]

Not at all. Opens up so many more options of places to go & ways to use the van.

 

[Badknee]

Yes your weird. Why did you bother going on a site at all.

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[Robert Clark]

We try not to rely on hook up, however we like our little creature comforts too, so invested in two extra leisure batteries, a 2kw inverter and 2 x 100watt solar panels. Our van is already fitted with a battery to battery charger.
We managed 'off grid' for three weeks in Italy - staying at the places we wanted to stay, rather than planning our stays around sites which had EHU

 

[jonandshell]

We don't carry a hookup lead anymore.

It never got used and wasted space.

 

[9526]

We rarely use EHU unless its "bundled in" with the aire/site fee.

We have solar and are "out and about" most days and have never had low battery issues.

mind you I am pretty weird

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[scotjimland]

We have two 80watt panels and two 85 ah batteries which are more than plenty for our simple needs.
plus 2 x 11kg bottles of cheap LPG to cook, heat water and run fridge.. lasts for weeks.

don't have any 240v kitchen appliances.. they use up space and payload.. not even a mains kettle or fan heater.
To grind coffee beans I have a manual grinder.. with a Moka express coffee pot ..

when looking for a CL, my preference is No EHU .. because it will a) be cheaper and b) less busy.. c) don't need it..
modern caravans are packed with 240v kit.. even a 240v hot plate in the cooker.. so need an EHU to make full use of it..

The last CS we were on, EHU was optional.. saving £4 per night.. just the way we like it..

coming from a camping background.. a dry bed is a luxury

horses for courses .. not weird..

 

[golly]

More and more sites have only one fee which includes EHU, no option not to have it which is a bit of a rip off particularly in the summer months

 

[scotjimland]

More and more sites have only one fee which includes EHU, no option not to have it which is a bit of a rip off particularly in the summer months

swings and roundabouts.. in winter many sites will lose money on the EHU.. it balances out..

potentially, on a 16A hook up, a van in winter using a 2kw space heater + plus kettle, battery charging, fridge, hot water etc could cost the site owner at 14 p per unit, over 18hrs = £7.60

exaggeration ? .. not at all.. many full timers will use this sort of leccy all winter ..

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[Lenny HB]

Not weird at all , the weird ones are the ones that can't live without a EHU. What is the point of having a motorhome that allows to have free and easy touring , but you can't stop anywhere without finding an EHU, pointless to me.

 

[mikebeaches]

Oh dear, I'm going to break the trend of this thread. We prefer to use an EHU where it's available - there said it!

Yes, we can and do manage without it from time to time. But for us it's just plain easier and more comfortable to be set up with services just as we are at home.

Wild camping and staying on aires is fine when long distance travelling on the continent, but it's not the way we choose to spend our entire holidays.

Last year during one trip of 5 weeks touring southern Spain and Portugal, surprisingly, we managed to NOT turn the gas bottle on for the whole trip from home back to home.

Our gas locker only takes one cylinder and we didn't bother to go down the refillable route. We have a single standard leisure battery and no solar. Oh, and no inverter.

Don't think EHU cost us a significant amount considering we could space heat, cook and heat water electrically - not to mention charging all the gadgets. EHU just seems simple and straightforward. And staying mostly at ACSI sites the leccy is all inclusive.

However, new PVC ordered this week for delivery next spring, and considering going for refillable gas. And a second leisure battery has already been specified. We are downsizing, so got to cut some of the electric clobber out. But, will still be using EHUs for combi gas/electric heating and 230 volt underfloor heating.

Mike

 

[Reallyretired]

I prefer not to have ehu, but as mentioned above it is inclusive at ACSI sites, so if staying on them we have it. I would not pay to have it though.

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[hilldweller]

Is it weird to gear all your motorhoming around not having any hook up?

Not at all. The glorious FUN meets mostly do not have hook up.

We see messages "I can't come unless we have hook up or I use my generator".
To which we reply "You need to read Darwin".

Many people see "motorhome" but in fact never actually see the "motor" part. They cannot come to terms with the very limited but totally adequate resources. "I've got to watch East Enders", "I've got to use my hair dryer", "I've got to have a shower morning and night". "I always microwave my baked beans".

I admit we have an Achilles Heel, electric bikes. If we flatten both batteries every day our solar is not quite up to that load.

Otherwise, 100W solar and 100Ah of battery copes during the summer.

 

[Don Quixote]

Since fitting @Techno100 "mod" we have not been on "EHU" for months. When needed flick switch and every mains socket is live via inverter. Wife is so happy. We safe around 4 euro's a night, which is a big saving over a month away. Solar replaces what we use......... Sorted.

 

[makems]

We also only use EHU if it is included in the price and there is no lower price excluding EHU. If we have EHU we use the opportunity to use our Remoska as many mealtimes as possible, switch the Slde heating system to electric if it's cold and so on etc.
We have multiple batteries and 400w of solar so never NEED to use EHU but will use it if it's effectively "free"

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[dave newell]

We rarely use hookups as we have little or no need for it. Last November we went away for a weekend to small site in Herefordshire where hookup was integral in the price of the pitch so we took a small fan heater expecting it to be cold but as it happens it was quite a mild weekend so I did feel a little miffed that all we took was a few dozen Watt Hours for the mains battery charger.

D.

 

[pappajohn]

We only have one 230v only appliance... The microwave.
Alde heating has a very small 12v water circulator motor..about the size of a large cotton bobbin.
Boiler circuit board is negligible power.
Fridge/freezer on gas....circuit board negligible.
All lighting is LED.
12v water pump.
12v TV and radio.
12v sat receiver.

A 170watt panel on the roof and one 110ah battery in the locker.

 

[jdk62]

Everybody has choice......

If you require/prefer an EHU - great, go for it.

If you avoid/do not want an EHU - great go for it.

Does it really matter one way or the other? Surely the fact that the common thread is motorhoming....

Each to their own.

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[glenn2926]

Everybody has choice......

If you require/prefer an EHU - great, go for it.

If you avoid/do not want an EHU - great go for it.

Does it really matter one way or the other? Surely the fact that the common thread is motorhoming....

Each to their own.

What he said

 

[sedge]

Exactly! Personally having spent many many years camping and caravanning sans electricity - an EHU is a luxury I can well do without! But - I do love having the luxury of a full-sized cooker in our Moho, having been used to using a small Flavel gas 2 burner/grill/oven in either the van(s) which were both rather elderly! - or a freestanding one when 'car' camping - but just one or two Coleman unleaded petrol rings when motorbike camping - for all those years! And of course - I also cook with gas at home - so I am always bepuzzled when folk say they've been away for months and never turned the gas on - even on EHU ! What the hell do they cook to eat without using the stove?

Yes - you can fill your lockers up with Cadacs and lord knows what, but you'd have to buy the stuff first which when you already have a proper stove the manufacturer has kindly included in the price of the van - why?

But - each to their own!

 

[tonyidle]

We're equipped for either - like any MH. We purposely avoid 240v kit so we don't feel restricted off EHU. I have 230W of PV & 220Ah battery. Each year one of our longer trips doesn't go near anywhere with EHU and lasts 5 weeks with only 3 short trips between sites. We use laptop, TV, smartphones & tablets, all charged/used via 12v chargers. No problem at all with the solar/leisure battery setup.

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[vin0114]

Since joining this lovely club where the great majority of outings are minus EHU we have realised that you can exist quite well even in the colder months without EHU. Okay you have to add extra bits like decent solar panels and an extra battery or two but being self sufficient is a no brainer these days finding cheaper sites between the no-hookup FUN events.

 

[dabhand]

Never even think about it, if it's there or "free" we use it, if it's not, no problem, we don't need it. Think we've done over 160
Nights or more in the Motorhome so far this year probably not more than about 10 with EHU and even then not exactly sure why we plugged in other than "it was there"

 

[Kool Kroozer]

The last few times we have been out for long weekends its been wild camping - so no EHU and we really do enjoy the freedom feel about it, the only downside for us really is the sense of security.

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[HymerB544]

Everybody has choice......

If you require/prefer an EHU - great, go for it.

If you avoid/do not want an EHU - great go for it.

Does it really matter one way or the other? Surely the fact that the common thread is motorhoming....

Each to their own.

My sentiments exactly. You pays your money and you takes your choice! And sometimes we choose the opposite...

 

[robnchris]

Motorhomes and touring have come along way in the last 20yrs, now all the internal lights are led your usage has dropped loads.
Ok we have an electric fan in the roof vent which along with the heater fan is the biggest user but a solar panel charging the battery all helps keep you topped up.
So in todays motorhome we only have one 120amp battery, we have a 120watt solar panel, if nothing else the batteries, Van and habitation keep a charge all winter when not being used.
Plus you haven`t got the added weight and bulk of extra batteries.
We spend our touring time away looking for the the same standard as we have at home, it`s nice to have all those 240v electric items if you want to use them so why not, the facility is there so take advantage of it.
We can and do manage without EHU but I don`t understand those that say we never use it, won`t pay for it, that`s not the proper spirit of motor homing.
We pay because we like the convenience of being able to flick the heating on if we want to, use a hair dryer, do all our cooking with electricity because we can and hey you`ve paid for it so use it

 

[Don Quixote]

I don't think anyone is saying "do not use EHU" it's a personal choice. The saving however if you have a MH setup with a bank of batteries and solar panels is great over a period of months. This year we have been away for a total so far of 183 days (off EHU) and the average EHU cost is 3 euros a night, that equals 549 euros or 395 quid.
We have/use hairdryer, washing machine, kettle, Remoska and slow cooker as and when needed all on batteries.
I will add if there is EHU in the cost of site ( we tend not to use sites ) then of course we use it.

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[Zigisla]

If I may highjack this thread to ask a question. There are clearly a lot of you that have second batteries and solar etc. Do the initial costs outweigh the saving from not using EHU though?
If you are out a long time, and I can see from above that you can save, but on average? 183 days would be about 3 years for us.
Solar panels are getting smaller, but more expensive from all the brochures I have collected. My new and naked roof, could be tempted if the savings are worth it. - May have to put the alarm on permanent hold then though!!!
Yours Aye
Michael

 

[vin0114]

@Zigisla. Solar panels and extra leisure bats are a must for us as we mainly stay on sites that don't have EHU. Most of the FUN meets/venues, CL's, CS's, and overseas aires also do not have EHU which suits us but measuring any possible financial gain is really not an issue maybe no gain at all but it suits our needs.

 

[Zigisla]

@vin0114 . Never though of it like that. I suppose if the needs must, then you cannot compare monetry values. We would use Forest sites, but the one in particular we do like doesn't have EHU so we will have to see if our battery could last a long weekend and recharge on the drive home or if Solar is the way ahead. Could use a little fold out screen whilst parked up in storeage as well.