Electricity Costings

With so much concern about energy costs, I was wondering if anyone out there had actually costed how much it is to have the van plugged in and just charging battery per day for electric. What difference is there if you have temperature set low to stop frost affecting the van. Thought someone would have looked into this and it would help to manage winter more economically. Thanks in advance.

If you have solar to keep the batteries charged and you have drained down correctly there is no real need to have the van on electric hook up whilst parked over winter, warm air has a higher humidity so there is the chance of more condensation, ventilation is better, the only time I have had the van on EHU in winter is before we have set of to pre heat so I could close the dump valve and chill the fridge,

Each to there own but I don’t find it necessary to be connected to EHU

Mine is dead simple.
It's never on EHU at home, happens to face SW so the side windows and side door let light and what heat there is in
Solar keeps both batteries 100% full 365.

Thanks for those ideas and will try not plugging at all except 2 days prior to a trip

Phil Bowen wrote:With so much concern about energy costs, I was wondering if anyone out there had actually costed how much it is to have the van plugged in and just charging battery per day for electric. What difference is there if you have temperature set low to stop frost affecting the van. Thought someone would have looked into this and it would help to manage winter more economically. Thanks in advance.

It will vary from van to van.  On mine, if the EC700 power control system is shutdown the mains load will just be for the mains charger (PX300) float charging the leisure battery.  If the EC700 is not shutdown, it will be the mains charger intermittently float charging either the vehicle battery or leisure battery plus the not insignificant EC700 load. If the EC700 control panel power button is turned on which it must be for the Truma control panel to be turned on, it will be more still and very much more if the temperature drops sufficiently for the heating to come on.  If water is left in the tanks in the winter the tank heating pads would also need to be activated which will probably increase the load and it will increase much more if the temperature drops sufficiently for them to come on.  So your question is a bit like how long is a piece of string. 

I'm the sort of person who at home doesn't leave the TV on standby or the microwave plugged in if they are not being used.  So if the van isn't being used, I certainly wouldn't leave the van plugged in on my drive, except for a few hours before a trip to cool down the fridge.  Providing the water system is drained down, which in my case it always is, it's simply not necessary.  I would also be concerned knowing the van is live whilst I am away from the house.

I plugged ours in last night nothing on except the charger, initially our smart meter at home was showing 4pence per hour  to power the van this morning after everything had charged up it was showing 2pence per hour.

Thanks very much for your input and I have noted what you said. It will guide my actions in future. Appreciate you taking time to respond
Regards
Phil