Smart Utility Monitoring & Billing
Concerned about your self-catering property energy bills?
As an owner rising energy costs and their impact on your rental income have likely become a concern in recent years. Increasing rental rates to cover rising energy costs is often to the detriment of occupancy levels. At Unique Cottages, we have come up with an alternative approach, a smarter and fairer way of ensuring you are not out of pocket for excessive energy usage.
Our energy management system has been specifically designed for the short-term letting market to revolutionize the consumption and management of utilities at your property.
Does your holiday property have a smart meter?
Smart meters are being rolled out across the UK and are supporting householders to control their energy spend by giving real-time information about their energy consumption in their own homes. Why shouldn’t the same technology be used to support holiday-makers to do the same?
Unique Cottages has developed software that does exactly that – utilising smart meter readings, our energy management system provides fair transparent billing so guests can enjoy the peace of mind that they are only paying for the energy they use while you as an owner can rest assured that you won’t be out of pocket if there is excessive usage.
No smart meter? No problem!
Your energy supplier may not yet have installed at smart meter at your property, but this doesn’t mean you can’t also advantage of the benefits of our energy management system. We can provide you with an inexpensive & easy to install Meter Interface which will provide you with the same data, knowledge and control as if you already had a smart meter in situ.
How does it work?
You have enough to think about as a holiday cottage owner, so our energy management system is fully automated. After a simple set-up, guest alerts and billing are all taken care of for you. Working seamlessly with the booking engine of your choice, guest information is securely passed to the energy management system ensuring that personal data is dealt with appropriately. Following the end of their holiday, guests are provided with details of their energy Ausage, a breakdown of costs, and a quick & easy way to pay directly to your bank account.
Do I have to charge my guests?
It's up to you if you choose to charge your guests. Our energy management system gives you the flexibility to just monitor costs, to set up an ‘included’ amount (and only charge for excessive usage) or to pass all utility costs directly on to the guests. We know each cottage is unique so our system can cater to all. Whether you choose to charge or not, our system accurately reflects each party's consumption, fostering trust and transparency. We believe this not only exactly what the self-catering industry in the UK needs but is exactly what the planet needs as well! Our system encourages energy-efficient usage, contributing to a greener, more sustainable holiday experience and a healthier planet.
Benefits
- Increased energy efficiency, cost savings, and a boost to property appeal
- Hassle-free remote monitoring and real-time usage insights
- Accurate data on energy usage to support understanding of seasonal energy usage patterns
- Fully security and privacy compliance built keeping customer data safe
- Utilise Smart Meter technology to reduce your energy costs whether your property has a smart meter already installed or not.
Award-Winning Service
Earlier in the year we were delighted to be awarded Gold Trusted Merchant status for 2015 by Feefo, our independent customer review provider.
This was in recognition of our high level of customer service that currently stands at 98%!
Our rating is based on 3,180 customers reviewing our service through Feefo and rating us as either good or excellent. We are very pleased that nearly 70% of these rated us as excellent. As we are representing you as your customers’ first point of contact we’re sure you are also happy to hear this.
Here are just some of the nice comments we have had through in recent months:
‘Very informative and and good response times, clear conditions and good website. Used previously and will use again.’
10 June
‘As always a first class service in terms of booking and information prior to going on holiday.’
11 May
‘A very pleasant experience from start to finish. Enquiries and special requests dealt with promptly and efficiently.’
10 May
‘We have used Unique Cottages several times over the past 8 years. The staff are always friendly, helpful and make booking easy.’
9 May
We are constantly trying to improve our service to both owners and guests, so while there is still room for improvement we will continue aiming for 100%!
If you would like any further information on Feefo, or have any queries regarding your reviews then please contact us: