b'SUPPLIER INSIGHTS nBY BEN QUIGGLESmartpost Offers Owners a Chance to Manage Electrical Costs in Real-TimeFlorida-based Wild Energy Inc. hasstantly, explained Sorensen.been making a splash in the outdoorFor park owners, that means if they hospitality industry with its meteringbill daily, weekly or monthly, the system technologythatallowsatraditionalknowsthemetervaluewhenthe pedestaltobecomewhatitcallsacamper checks in and the meter value Smartpost. whenthecamperchecksout.Park Mike Sorensen, the president of Wildownersalsohaveaccesstoaportal Energy,toldWoodallsCampgroundwhere they can check electrical usage Magazine (WCM) thatand meter readings in real-time.thecompanygotitsSorensen noted that having a smart start with smart con- systemlike WildEnergyallowspark trollersthatwereowners to recover their electrical costs, placedinsideofand ensures that tent campers, smaller pedestals and allowedunits or those who choose to conserve park owners to controlare not subsidizing the electrical costs the pedestal remotely.of larger RVs and heavy consumers. However, Wild EnergyOn the consumer side, meters areWild Energy Inc. offers components that allow park owners to Mike Sorensen quicklyfoundthatbecoming the norm and campers areturn their existing pedestals into smartposts that allow them what the owners really cared about wasbecoming more familiar with electricalto track energy usage in real time. measuring energy consumption.charges, he said. It still can be a hard WildEnergythendesignedandsellfortheovernightorweekendrecover the cost of providing the elec- Sorensen said that so far Wild Energy began building smart meters. The me- campers that dont like to get a $5 billtrical service.has had the most success with larger ters have special electronic boards in- for electrical costs. But for stays longerBuilding electrical costs into a camp- parks that understand the return on in-side that collect data and send the datathan a week, as an owner, youre justsites fee is trickier and Sorensen saidvestment (ROI) of metering their parks back in real-time. throwingmoneyawayifyoursitesthat it can leave people who use lesssites and managing customer margins.Every time that meter clicks overarent metered. Youre not managingelectricitysubsidizinglargerpowerThere is an investment to install onekilowatt,weknowaboutitin- your margins and its smart business tousers. Sorensen explained that Wild En- meters, but for a typical park, you can ergy can help park owners with differ- see an ROI in about 18 months, he ent pricing strategies.noted. Parks without meters today can Wetakealookatwhattheyareseeareturninamatterofmonths. doing and recommend options for em- Whats your ROI in the $10,000 worth bedding the expenses or pricing thoseof picnic tables you just bought? There costs, he said.isnt one. Its an amenity. There is no re-SorensendemonstratedforWCMturn on investment that you can calcu-this principle and how a park couldlate easily. This one has direct dollars save money by highlighting a park neartied to it. Its easy to calculate it. Austin, Texas, that the company worksWild Energy is currently building in-with. The park has an RVer that wastegrationswithreservationsystems burning400-500kilowattsaweek,platforms, including a recently com-which factors out to around $45 a weekpleted integration with NewBook and in electrical costs. Staylist.On a $750 a month site, if you factorThese integrations help streamline electrical costs into your rates, yourethe process for owners, reduce billing losing almost 24% on high-consump- errors and allow for costs recovery on tion guests, he noted.short-term stays, Sorensen said.He also pointed out that an RVer atTo learn more about Wild Energy, go the park who was only using 11 kilo- to wildenergyco.com. watts (while away) would then be sub-sidizing the guy chewing up power.Jamestown Advanced Products Fire View Ring The Fire View Rings unique cutout design gives campers a complete, 360-degree view of their campfire for added ambiance. In addition to being ADA-compliant, the Fire View Ring grate can be operated with only one hand and re-quires less than five pounds of force to move.The270-square-inchcooking surface moves 180 degreesfrom over the fire to completely outside of the campfire ringfor serving and fire building.Pad Mount Pedestals Jamestown Advanced Products Pad Supplier Insights continued on page 3614 December 2021Woodalls Campground Magazine'