Winterising costs

Mags52

Mags52

Free Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2010
Posts
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Location
Melrose Scottish Borders
Funster No
11,895
MH
Hymer B774
Exp
Since 2010
This winter we plugged the MH into the mains and ran the heating on a low setting over the worst of the winter. Just read our electric meter for the quarter's reading and I was shocked! Hard to say exactly how much it cost but it must have been around £150 - £200.
We have a thermometer in the MH and when I checked it was between 9 - 10c in there with the heating on. Could we have had it on lower than that? Is there a better way than using the onboard heater? I'm wondering if gas would have been cheaper as we have Gaslow.
Next year we'll probably stay away somewhere warmer - definitely cheaper than heating the house and the MH.
 
Best way to stay warm in winter, if you can afford it, is to move to warmer "Climes". (y)
 
There again why warm your motorhome, mine is in a secure storage site with no electricity and my MH seems just fine to me. (y)
 
We used it a couple of times over the winter for guests so I didn't want the bed to get cold and damp. Also, it gets pretty cold up here in Scotland.
 
I use ours when guests stay. Have never left heating on / connected to EHU.
Never seems damp. Just put heating on via EHU for a few hours before using it as overflow acomodation.

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We used our van as guest accommodation from February to May last year when our youngest daughter and her two children stayed with us prior to emigrating to Texas. Our electric bill, too, went through the roof but most of that was for heating our conservatory which we use as a dinning room. We only heated the van for an hour before we went to bed and again in the morning. (y)
 
I have mine hooked up and a convector heater keeps it at 8 degrees. Worked out the cost a couple of years ago to be £80-£120. Means the van is not cold or damp should we take a quick break in the winter which we frequently do. As I paid over £40k for the van I consider the cost to be minimal when rolled up with servicing, insurance, fuel, tyres etc. for a van doing 6000 odd miles a year.
 
I'm with Judgemental on this and we go away more in the winter than the summer. If it has been exceptionally cold I might put the heating on for a couple of hours before we leave - if only so that the dump valve doesn't activate. Never had any problems doing this for the last 5 years.

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Heating only creates warmer air which will hold more water hence more condensation. Just leave our van as it is, if we want to use it the Truma Combi only take 20min to bring it up to a reasonable temperature.
 
At the end of the day i dont think it is that much really. Say £200 for 90 days if you had used gas x3. What price for some peace of mind the mh is worth it.

As i live in mine even when at home its 20c from 10am to 10pm then 15c from 10pm to 10am if iam in or not. With what it cost to buy and use i have no problem with few quid for lecy. And always ready to roll.
 
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warm van just the job for mice seeking a winter retreat, I even saw the adverts down here, hee hee
 
2013/14 we had ours on hook up and heating on and yes electricity Bill was high. However MH was aired and everything ready to go
 
If you DO want to keep a "gentle" background temperature, why not buy a "tube heater" ??
You can buy a Dimple made, thermostatically controlled one, for less than £20..
They only use 40 watts per foot of length and you can set the temperature to anything you want.. I set mine to 5 degrees to prevent frost..
The folks that say DONT heat at all are also correct, as are the ones that say "Go South" :LOL:
PS. I mounted mine onto an MDF board to make it safer.

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No heating in ours unless we were in it as well and not had any issues.
 
I have always had mine on hook up in the winter when at home. The damage that could potentially happen if frozen may be more than the cost of the electric. Then I would have the inconvenience of booking it in for repairs, and they are never quick!
I do put on the silver screens and close all the blinds and use a rodent alarm.
 
If we aren't using the van its outside on EHU, thermostat set at 8, batteries kept smart charged, fridge and freezer are usually working keeping overflow food cool.
I'm sure it costs a bit to keep it powered up but the van is well insulated ( grade 3 whatever that is!) with Silver screens on and all insulated blinds in use, I haven't noticed the bills are that much higher than if it wasn't connected.
Allan
 
You could move into the van on the drive and shut the house down for the winter....;)

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Portable heaters, left unattended or not, will not be covered by your motorhome insurance .. in the event of a fire caused by one they may not pay out... worth checking with your broker.

Small risk.. yes.. but even oil filled heaters have been known to catch alight .. tubular green-house type heaters are probably the safest..

I'm in the 'not required' camp
 
For those of you who don't heat the van and yet it have it ready to go at any time, how do you make sure that your dump valve doesn't open or the boiler freeze up please? I must admit I tend to drain all the water in mine and then leave it non-heated.
 

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