Meter Air Con. Usage!

HI all I'm thinking of renting  my apartment out to joe public.  (I've held out for 3 years)

I am wondering if anybody has fitted a card meter to control usage of the Air Con.

If yes, whats the cost, and who do I contact !

Thank you in advance.

 Hi, I have used a card meter for a few years now if you want to do the same you will need someone on site who can sell the cards? and reset the meter.

Contact Andy on 00 34 617 644 339 I am sure he can fit them (he did not do mine biut i can recomend him)

Costs ? cant remember it was either 120 or 210 € (Not much help)

What i will say if you have no meter most people will run Air con and fans etc 24/7 as its included with a meter i have noticed that usage improves as the time goes by and renters get economical?

They are well worthwhile to help cover costs and you only need to set them to a minimal rate just to cover electric costs.

Hope this helps?

Thank You,

Hi all. How i was thinking about fitting a card meter for the air con also. will the cards fit all meters or do specific meters require specific cards . I ask this because i can acquire a card meter quite cheaply and fit it myself but if I am not there I will nort be able to top up the cards or sell them on to renters on site. The meter i can get takes a standars credit card sized card and appears similar to ones on amazon.co.uk and ebay.  Thanks

 Hi all , we use westwood meters in torquay for all our bed sits we fit out in uk , they cost appx 40 quid and you pay for cards seperately from themselves at appx 50 for 100 , the cards can then be of denomination of 5,10 or 20 pound credit which you would then sell to your renters before they go , 20 should cover a 2 week rental , any more and they can buy from your key holder , easy to fit to either a single circuit ( air con only) or cover the whole consumer unit  , you can also buy infa red  pir 's for roof in each room containing your air con , when no movement for a preset time they switch it off, they are cordless and run on batteries       Simples !!!!

Would it not make more sense to install a coin meter.

 excellent idea , give them an excuse to tamper with the meter to try and get there money back !!, take it from me they will , i have years experience with meters in the rental market !!

 is a coin meter for electricity available ?  ,that would be a great idea , an idea of the cost to be fitted ??

Of course you are correct in saying that  Some may be tempted to break into the unit, however I would like to believe that this would be a very occassional occurrence.

Nonetheless It appears to me that the combined cost of the cards, the potential additional cost for and hassel to the keyholder plus the additional cost of PIR controls ( adds to the complexity and cost of maintenance / repair ),  would more than justify the use of coin meters. Also rental deposits should help solve the problem of / pay for the abuses of wayward tenants. But at the end of the day its personal choice but in my humble opinion ease of use is a major advantage of coin operated meters and offers the renter flexibilty in the control of their aircon use..