Campsite Electric Hook-Up Guide for UK Site Owners

Campsite electric hook-ups are one of the first things guests ask about when they book a touring pitch. Whether they need to charge a phone overnight or run a full caravan heating system in October, a reliable electricity supply makes or breaks the experience. For site owners, getting your hook-ups right means understanding the regulations, choosing the correct amperage, keeping on top of safety inspections and knowing how to deal with the problems that crop up on busy weekends. This guide covers the essentials so you can offer a safe, reliable electric hook-up service at your site.

What Guests Expect from an Electric Hook-Up

Most touring caravans and motorhomes come with a standard blue CEE connector (the round three-pin plug sometimes called a "Euro plug" or "camping plug"). Guests expect to arrive at their pitch, plug in using a 25 metre cable, and have power running within seconds. That is the baseline.

Beyond that, expectations vary by guest type:

• Weekend tourers want enough power to charge devices, run the fridge on mains and maybe boil a kettle
• Longer stay caravans often run electric heaters, hair dryers and small appliances throughout the day
• Motorhomes rely on hook-ups to keep leisure batteries topped up and run inverters
• Tent campers with EHU typically just need a low draw for phone chargers, a cool box or fairy lights

The common thread is reliability. Guests do not mind if your supply is 10 amps rather than 16 amps, but they absolutely mind if it trips every time someone switches on a kettle. Being clear about what your supply can handle saves everyone a frustrating conversation at the bollard.

Choosing the Right Amperage

In the UK, campsite hook-ups typically run at either 10 amps or 16 amps. The difference matters more than you might think.

A 10 amp supply delivers roughly 2,300 watts. That is enough for lighting, a fridge, phone chargers, a TV and a low wattage heater. It will not comfortably run a kettle (typically 2,000 to 3,000 watts) alongside other appliances. Many smaller sites, CL sites and CS sites run at 10 amps, and that is perfectly fine as long as guests know what to expect.

A 16 amp supply delivers roughly 3,600 watts. This allows guests to run higher draw appliances like kettles, hair dryers and fan heaters without tripping the breaker. Most commercial touring parks offer 16 amps, and it is what seasoned tourers expect as standard.

If you are installing a new system or upgrading, 16 amps is the sensible choice. The additional wiring cost is modest compared to the hassle of constantly resetting tripped breakers during peak season. If you already have a 10 amp system and upgrading is not an option, just make it clear at the point of booking. A note on your pitch descriptions saves a lot of on-site frustration.

With CampSuite's parks and pitches setup, you can specify the hook-up amperage for each pitch so guests see exactly what they are booking before they arrive.

Wiring and Installation Requirements

Campsite electrical installations in the UK must comply with BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations), specifically Section 708 which covers caravan and camping parks. This is not optional. Whether you run a five pitch CL or a two hundred pitch holiday park, the same regulations apply.

Key requirements include:

• RCD protection: every hook-up socket must be protected by a 30mA residual current device. This is the single most important safety measure. If a guest's cable is damaged or there is a fault in their caravan, the RCD cuts the power before it can cause harm.
• Individual circuit protection: each hook-up point should have its own MCB (miniature circuit breaker) rated to the correct amperage (10A or 16A). This means one pitch tripping does not knock out every other pitch on the circuit.
• Socket type: outdoor hook-up sockets must be the blue industrial CEE type (IEC 60309), rated IP44 or higher for weather protection. Standard domestic three-pin sockets are not acceptable for outdoor campsite use.
• Cable burial depth: underground supply cables must be installed at the correct depth (typically 600mm minimum) and protected with marker tape or ducting.
• Earthing: the earthing arrangement must be suitable for outdoor use. TT earthing systems with earth electrodes are common on campsites where PME (protective multiple earthing) from the mains supply is not permitted for use with caravans.

All of this must be designed and installed by a qualified electrician who understands the specific requirements for caravan parks. A domestic electrician who mostly does house rewires may not be familiar with Section 708. Ask for someone with experience in caravan park installations.

Safety Testing and Inspections

Once installed, your electrical system is not something you can forget about. Regular testing is both a legal requirement and a practical necessity.

Periodic Inspection and Testing

BS 7671 recommends that caravan park electrical installations are inspected and tested at least every 12 months. This is more frequent than most commercial premises because of the outdoor environment and the constant plugging and unplugging of guest equipment.

During an inspection, a qualified electrician will:

• Test every RCD to confirm it trips within the required time
• Check earth loop impedance at each hook-up point
• Inspect all outdoor sockets, bollards and distribution boards for damage or water ingress
• Verify that cable insulation is intact and connections are secure
• Issue an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

Keep your EICR on file. Your insurer will almost certainly ask for it, and if there is ever an incident, it demonstrates that you have maintained the system properly.

Routine Visual Checks

Between annual inspections, get into the habit of checking your hook-up points regularly. Look for cracked or discoloured sockets, damaged bollard covers, signs of water getting into enclosures, and any scorch marks around connections. After heavy rain or storms, a quick walk around the bollards takes ten minutes and can catch problems before they become dangerous.

Common Hook-Up Problems and How to Prevent Them

If you have run a campsite with electric hook-ups for any length of time, you will recognise most of these.

Tripping Breakers

The most common complaint. Usually caused by guests drawing more power than the circuit can handle. A 10 amp supply that has to run a 3kW kettle and a fan heater will trip every time. The fix is either to upgrade to 16 amps or to clearly communicate the limit before arrival. A laminated card at each bollard listing the maximum wattage helps.

Damaged Guest Cables

Guest hook-up cables take a beating. They get driven over, left out in the rain, and stored coiled up in damp lockers. A cable with damaged insulation is a serious safety risk. While you cannot inspect every guest's cable on arrival, it is worth adding a note to your pre-arrival guest communications reminding guests to check their cables before they travel. Some sites also display a notice at the hook-up point advising guests to inspect their cable and not to use damaged equipment.

Reversed Polarity

Some older caravans and adaptors have reversed polarity, meaning the live and neutral wires are swapped. This can be dangerous because the on/off switch may interrupt the neutral instead of the live. Modern RCDs will still protect against earth faults, but it is worth having a polarity tester available on site. Many experienced tourers carry their own, but not everyone does.

Water Ingress

Outdoor electrical equipment and British weather are not natural allies. Bollard covers crack, seals degrade, and sockets fill with rainwater. This is why IP44 rated equipment is the minimum requirement. Inspect bollard covers at the start of each season and replace any that are cracked or no longer seal properly. A £30 replacement cover is a lot cheaper than an electrical fire.

Overloaded Circuits

If several hook-up points share a common supply cable that is undersized for the total load, the cable can overheat even if individual breakers do not trip. This is a design issue that should be caught during periodic inspection. If you are adding more pitches to an existing system, always have an electrician check that the incoming supply and distribution cables can handle the extra load.

How Much to Charge for Electric Hook-Ups

Pricing for EHU varies widely across the UK. At the time of writing, most sites charge somewhere between £3 and £7 per night for a hook-up pitch supplement. Some sites bundle electricity into the pitch price and charge a flat rate. Others meter individual pitches, though this is less common on smaller sites.

A few things to consider when setting your price:

• Your electricity cost: work out roughly what each hook-up pitch costs you per night in electricity. A 10 amp pitch running at moderate draw will use around 3 to 5 kWh per day. At current domestic rates that is roughly £1 to £1.50 per pitch per night in raw electricity cost.
• Maintenance costs: factor in your annual EICR, any repairs, and eventual replacement of bollards and distribution equipment.
• Competitor pricing: check what other sites in your area charge for EHU. Being significantly above or below the norm needs a justification.
• Guest perception: most guests accept an EHU supplement of £4 to £5 as completely reasonable. Going above £7 starts to feel steep unless your site is particularly premium.

If you use CampSuite for managing bookings, you can set different rates for EHU and non-EHU pitches so the pricing is clear at the point of booking. Guests see exactly what they are paying for, and you do not have to explain the supplement on arrival.

Managing Hook-Up Pitches on Busy Weekends

On a quiet midweek night, EHU management is simple. On a full bank holiday weekend with thirty caravans all plugged in, it gets more interesting. Here are a few practical tips for keeping things running smoothly:

• Know your capacity: understand the total electrical load your site can handle at peak demand. If you have twenty hook-up points but your incoming supply only supports fifteen at full draw, you need to manage that.
• Stagger high-draw periods: if tripping is a regular problem at mealtimes (when everyone boils a kettle at once), consider a polite notice asking guests to stagger their use of high-draw appliances. It sounds old fashioned, but it works.
• Label your bollards clearly: number each hook-up point and keep a record of which pitch connects to which bollard. When a breaker trips, you need to know which pitch is affected without walking the entire site.
• Keep spare fuses and a socket tester on hand: small problems are much easier to resolve quickly if you have the right bits in a toolbox by reception.

A well maintained hook-up system is one of those things guests rarely comment on, because it just works. But a poorly maintained one generates complaints, bad reviews and, in the worst case, genuine safety risks. Put the time and money into getting it right, and it pays for itself in repeat bookings and peace of mind.

If you want to track which pitches have hook-ups, set different pricing for EHU and non-EHU stays, and give guests clear information before they arrive, try CampSuite for free. It is free for CL and CS sites, and it takes about fifteen minutes to get set up.