Villas inside and out
Heating and air conditioning in villas
Who pays the increasingly high costs of electicity?
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Catriona Wells Monday 4 July 2011 |
As a general rule, rented villas come with inclusive electricity. This works well both for the owner and the renter until the question of air conditioning and heating comes up.
Energy charges are biting hard across Europe and both room heaters and air-con units can be very expensive to run. An inconsiderate 'guest' who elects to run the air-con all day with the windows open can destroy the economic balance and put the owner in hock to the electricity company when they receive their next bill.
So, what to do? Do you as the owner disconnect the air-con? Do you put it on a time clock so that there is only limited access? Perhaps worse, do you put it onto a pay-as-you-go meter?
The general consensus is that you disconnect and keep it for your own use when the villa is not being rented.
Heating is a bit more difficult. Many high-sunshine European count ries do get quite cold in the evenings. Is it fair to expect your renters to put up with a cold villa whilst there is a disabled heater in the cupboard? A poll of villa owners suggests that this is a cost that owners have to bear but also one that becomes more problematic as energy charges continue to increase.
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Mrs Englewood 6 July 2011, 12:22PM | |
I have had real problems with renters in our property in France. Yes, it can get cold down here in many summer evenings. We get the wind and once the sun goes down it can feel cold. | |
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Jennifer Green 7 July 2011, 12:26PM | |
We rented in France last year and some evenings it was very cold. The Mistral wind was blowing and it was very uncomfortable. We have a 6-year old and a 9-year old and they were cold and frettish. | |
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janet Brown 9 July 2011, 01:09PM | |
I am an owner in France and we have to be very careful about our energy costs. Some renters are very unfair and run the heating as though it is free (which to them it is). | |
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John Kerry 10 July 2011, 01:04PM | |
We hired a villa in the USA and the owners had limited the air con to four hours a day. It was horrible and hot. | |
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Baby sitting | ||||
What baby sitting standards can you expect in your villa? Can you expect British standard qualifications or should you rely upon local recommendations?
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