Cost of heating - gas - electric hook up - how do we do it? (3 Viewers)

[Jemima]

We are driving south through Eastern Europe currently in Czech Republic. We have gone through a gas bottle with heating trying to keep warm at night. We have also stopped in a few sites which charge about €20 simply for the electric hook up in order to keep warm. This is costing us a fortune and i can't help thinking that there must be a better way. We are chasing the sunshine south towards Greece but even so the weather will not be that warm over the winter. How do 'lifers' do this? Surely people can't be spending €20 a night (€600 a month) on electric? Can they?

 

[Minxy]

Hi Jemima, have you got refillable bottles? If so stick with your gas heating and just keep it well topped up.

I'm not sure when you say you have the heating on 'at night' whether you mean just an evening when you are sat up, or overnight when you are in bed? We only use ours when we are sat up and rely on our duvets etc overnight to keep us snug (a hoodie top is good for keeping your head warm!). We don't use sites so electric heating isn't an option for us.

 

[Ivory55]

Rent an apartment for the winter it would be cheaper.

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[Jemima]

Thanks Mel,
We try and avoid sites too but have been seeking out the electric for the warmth, both sitting up and sleeping.
Reading between the lines I am hearing "dig your woollies out and snuggle up" lol my Yorkshire mum would say I've turned into a southern softie

 

[Lenny HB]

€20 per night for EHU sounds like you have been stiched up, between €3 to €5 is the norm but if you have refillable gas bottles still cheaper to use gas.

 

[chaser]

Started out on our tour in France a month ago with a 6kg gasit bottle and a backup calor bottle , still haunt emptied the first bottle and not had any hook up.

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[Jemima]

€20 per night for EHU sounds like you have been stiched up, between €3 to €5 is the norm but if you have refillable gas bottles still cheaper to use gas.

Sorry my bad description: 20€ a night INCLUDING electric not just for electric. Having just driven through Russia and the Baltics where gas is as common as hen's teeth I suppose I need to get into the mindset of using gas as it becomes more available as we move further south.
Thanks for your advice.

 

[Minxy]

Thanks Mel,
We try and avoid sites too but have been seeking out the electric for the warmth, both sitting up and sleeping.
Reading between the lines I am hearing "dig your woollies out and snuggle up" lol my Yorkshire mum would say I've turned into a southern softie

Well ... all I can say is that you read between the lines well especially as I wasn't saying that but I it is the solution!

I used to go to bed in our camper with my fluffy socks on and a woolly hat but since then have found that a hoodie give more 'draught-proofing' and tends to stay on my head whereas I'd normally end up searching for where the hat had wandered off to during the night! If you only have one duvet they buy another and use that too as its surprising just how much 'cold' you can block out with 2 duvets and a hoodie!

 

[Minxy]

Nearly forgot ... don't discount hot water bottles either, they can keep you warm for a long time and you cannot beat getting into a bed which as been warmed up with one.

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[billym]

Sorry my bad description: 20€ a night INCLUDING electric not just for electric. Having just driven through Russia and the Baltics where gas is as common as hen's teeth I suppose I need to get into the mindset of using gas as it becomes more available as we move further south.
Thanks for your advice.

LPG is widely available in the Baltic States.

We are happy to pay for sites. Have just left a beautiful site at Kutna Hora in Czech Rep. It was eqivilent of £13 a night. Super hot showers, kitchen facilities, cosy sitting room etc. Currently paying £18 a night in Prague. Hot showers, little bar etc.

If it works out at £500 to £600 a month so be it. I would prefer that than shivering on a car park. So yes. If you want to wildcamp in the cold you do not have too many options for keeping warm.

 

[MattR]

We filled up in Prague 2 years ago - it was cheaper than many other European countries.

We also recommend warm socks, hot water bottles & layers. We don't use our heater unless on hookup or we are soaked from a down pour. We've met some people who aim for 18oC in their van or more .... we try and keep our van warm enough to stop things freezing.

 

[Minxy]

We filled up in Prague 2 years ago - it was cheaper than many other European countries.

We also recommend warm socks, hot water bottles & layers. We don't use our heater unless on hookup or we are soaked from a down pour. We've met some people who aim for 18oC in their van or more .... we try and keep our van warm enough to stop things freezing.

In our new camper we have an all-electric compressor fridge which isn't happy unless the interior is at 16C degrees or higher! Daft or what!

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[billym]

We filled up in Prague 2 years ago - it was cheaper than many other European countries.

We also recommend warm socks, hot water bottles & layers. We don't use our heater unless on hookup or we are soaked from a down pour. We've met some people who aim for 18oC in their van or more .... we try and keep our van warm enough to stop things freezing.

Sounds like fun!

 

[Jemima]

Nearly forgot ... don't discount hot water bottles either, they can keep you warm for a long time and you cannot beat getting into a bed which as been warmed up with one.

Lol was just discussing that very option with the other half

 

[tonyidle]

Nearly forgot ... don't discount hot water bottles either, they can keep you warm for a long time and you cannot beat getting into a bed which as been warmed up with one.

A nice little Whippet works well and never goes cold .

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[Enword]

Do you have silver screens or anything?

 

[bigtwin]

Well ... all I can say is that you read between the lines well especially as I wasn't saying that but I it is the solution!

I used to go to bed in our camper with my fluffy socks on and a woolly hat but since then have found that a hoodie give more 'draught-proofing' and tends to stay on my head whereas I'd normally end up searching for where the hat had wandered off to during the night! If you only have one duvet they buy another and use that too as its surprising just how much 'cold' you can block out with 2 duvets and a hoodie!

Sounds like you need a ‘onesie’!

Ian

 

[DBK]

We have a Webasto diesel heater but it does draw quite a lot of current. In the summer the solar tops up the batteries but at the moment in Germany even 200W of solar isn't really enough. If we are driving every day this isn't a problem but in cloudy conditions we would be struggling after a few days. But we are softies and like the heating on - our dog Charlie loves it.

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[Jemima]

LPG is widely available in the Baltic States.

We are happy to pay for sites. Have just left a beautiful site at Kutna Hora in Czech Rep. It was eqivilent of £13 a night. Super hot showers, kitchen facilities, cosy sitting room etc. Currently paying £18 a night in Prague. Hot showers, little bar etc.

If it works out at £500 to £600 a month so be it. I would prefer that than shivering on a car park. So yes. If you want to wildcamp in the cold you do not have too many options for keeping warm.

I think we must be missing something here - we were looking for refills of Campingaz cylinders but you say about LPG do we need special adapters or something because I thought they were just for refilling cars?

 

[Jemima]

Do you have silver screens or anything?

Yes we do and need to use them more often. Thanks for that

 

[Shrimp]

We use a fleece blanket over knees when not really cold & no heater.
In winter when weather is really cold we use an oil filled radiator on EHU.
When it’s really freezing we have a fleece on the bed, &/or dog in bed too!
We don’t use the heating on gas as it uses too much gas, & ours doesn’t work on EHU!

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[MattR]

Sounds like fun!

Well if 4 of us in our PVC can't keep it warm enough, we send the sprogs to bed and have an early night

 

[Drexxer]

Camping Gaz, about the most expensive way of using gas!

Normally the choice of small campers but I see you have a c class?

 

[DBK]

I think we must be missing something here - we were looking for refills of Campingaz cylinders but you say about LPG do we need special adapters or something because I thought they were just for refilling cars?

Campinggaz isn't commonly found in large parts of Europe and it is an expensive way of buying gas when you can get it. You need the sort of propane bottles which are widely used in houses for cooking as well as of course in motorhomes and caravans.

If you look at a few garages you should see cages full of such bottles. These are what you need but you will also need a regulator which fits on or can be connected to the bottle and then connect it all into your system.

BUT if you have any doubts about doing this then don't do it yourself! I suggest trying to find a MH or caravan dealer and see if they can sort it for you. In summary you need a new bottle or preferably two and have them plumbed in.

We have a fixed LPG tank and this is an alternative but bottles are the most widely used.

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[Sundowners]

Camping gaz must be the most expensive gas on earth!!!!!, Buy a local bottle and use that until you get where you can fit a tank or get refillable bottles---- then top up as required on garage pumps beside petrol pumps!!!!!------- there are other places

 

[billym]

Oh

I think we must be missing something here - we were looking for refills of Campingaz cylinders but you say about LPG do we need special adapters or something because I thought they were just for refilling cars?

Oh!
No we have an underslung LPG tank refillable at petrol stations. Also in the Baltic there were a lot of LPG only stations

Many people have refillable gas bottles e.g Gaslow

How you can manage with Campingaz I am not sure. Certainly I have not seen any up here.

 

[Sundowners]

When you get your refillable system----- you will need different adapters for different countries----- not expensive but inconvenient if you are going to refill and don't have the correct fitting!!!!

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[Minxy]

Sounds like you need a ‘onesie’!

Ian

No chance ... I would want to try to go to the loo at night with a onesie on ... you'd end up having to strip off before you can even sit down ... not such a problem for a man who just wants a wee but far from ideal for a female. I suppose an old fashioned 'long john' suit with the flap at the rear might be better but trying to unbutton it would be a nightmare!

Think I'll stick to my pjs and a hoodie!

 

[Minxy]

When you get your refillable system----- you will need different adapters for different countries----- not expensive but inconvenient if you are going to refill and don't have the correct fitting!!!!

In our experience it's not usually an issue as the fuel station usually has them for you to borrow anyway.