Weddings Venue charging electric fee (WTF)
- Thread starter drzinc
- Start date
I can power my home for three months on that.
That would be like the hotel charging you for the power used on your personal devices in your room. :triconfused:
That would be like the hotel charging you for the power used on your personal devices in your room. :triconfused:
Sounds like just one more way to scam someone out of their money. Appears to be a great way to scare away business though...
20 amps is more than most DJs need.
Unless you're doing a lot of lights and/or video and/or have a LOT of sound gear, you can probably run your entire system off a single 15A circuit.
Unless you're doing a lot of lights and/or video and/or have a LOT of sound gear, you can probably run your entire system off a single 15A circuit.
Our client next week (prom) must pay. $530 to have 50A 220V hooked up for us. It requires dragging a cord out to the ballroom& plugging it in. Last 2 years it has even been undersized wire...gets pretty warm by the end of the night.
Hmm...I'm thinking get some bread and make yourself a little bit of toast for the load out.
Seriously though, wouldn't this sort of thing fall under the venue's cost of doing business?
Sounds like the venue needs the same advice many of us like giving each other.... "If you're not making enough money, charge more."
If the client agreed to pay it, they should.
A smartly constructed contract addresses and clarifies such matters.
A smartly constructed contract addresses and clarifies such matters.
Agreed, the cost of electric service is a cost of doing business and should be included in the house rental fee structure. Like Hank said, the $250.00 fee could cover a couple months' residential service for many people. Prospective renters aren't going to be fooled. This scheme is just another way to make money for the owners.
The policy appears to be misguided. Electricity is billed for kilowatt hours consumed, not available current capacity. A 200 amp service isn't going to cost more to use than a 100 amp service with an identical load. I'm presuming the venue is waiving the fee for a DJ company that can operate on a single 20 amp service.
We've run our full rig on a single 20 amp service for years with no issues. 3 power amps with combined 6Kw RMS dissipation capability. But we don't load a lot of lighting. Where your electrical load comes into play is with incandescent and halogen lamps. They can add up the current requirement rather quickly.
The policy appears to be misguided. Electricity is billed for kilowatt hours consumed, not available current capacity. A 200 amp service isn't going to cost more to use than a 100 amp service with an identical load. I'm presuming the venue is waiving the fee for a DJ company that can operate on a single 20 amp service.
We've run our full rig on a single 20 amp service for years with no issues. 3 power amps with combined 6Kw RMS dissipation capability. But we don't load a lot of lighting. Where your electrical load comes into play is with incandescent and halogen lamps. They can add up the current requirement rather quickly.
Should Val even be allowed to partake in this conversation...LMAO...I can understand a venue being scared of their electric bill when she shows up!!!
(2) QSC K10's will not draw that much power. Even though it's a 20 amp circuit, the breakers are probably more like 15amp. I run K12's on 15 amp circuits all the time with no problems. Currently, I'm running (2) EV 12's (1000W) and (2) 18's (700W) and the rest of my gear (lights too) on a 15 amp circuit with no problems. I try to stay within commercial power requirements as everywhere will not have what we really would need.
I ask for (contractually) (2) 15 amp circuits but good luck getting that in most places.
I might understand if you're drawing from a 220V circuit.
Me thinks whoever posted this on the other board, is being facetious and/or hypothetical (he did say "like $250")...
If the DJ used say 1500 watts continuous for 4 hours, that's about 6 kw hours used. In most places, electric averages about 11 cents per kw hour, which would be about 66 cents worth of electric. Perhaps he meant to say $2.50...
If the DJ used say 1500 watts continuous for 4 hours, that's about 6 kw hours used. In most places, electric averages about 11 cents per kw hour, which would be about 66 cents worth of electric. Perhaps he meant to say $2.50...
Rick sorta said what I was thinking... we probably use about $2 tops for most of us for a wedding.
In our case, the client didn't agree to pay it upfront. The venue notifies me& her 2 weeks ago (been booked with us and the venue for a year....venue. mgr still has my tech requirements on her desk from past 2 years being there). There would be no charge if we could plug into a standard 110. We occasionally see an electrical charge at convention centers. This one can be a pita on a lot of levels but it's a great event for us.
In your case, you may use $7 in electric -- but, because you use a 220v distro panel, they have to pay $500+ to have a wire run...
Stop drying your clothes at gigs Val... yorofl:
two things I thought of....
1- perhaps this fee originated with live bands, who would need more juice, and require a special tap in to power their gear.
2- perhaps it is an issue with the electrician. maybe he's union, and requires an extra fee to do the job.
either way, though
a very crappy way to milk more money out of the bride and groom.
do they also charge for the natural gas they use to cook the food they already paid for?
1- perhaps this fee originated with live bands, who would need more juice, and require a special tap in to power their gear.
2- perhaps it is an issue with the electrician. maybe he's union, and requires an extra fee to do the job.
either way, though
a very crappy way to milk more money out of the bride and groom.
do they also charge for the natural gas they use to cook the food they already paid for?
Normally when we see a fee it's because we have to call an electrician to tie something in....the venue doesn't do it themselves. In this case, the venue has staff bring a shopping cart to the ballroom to plug into their tap. We have our own distro so they literally just have to plug in a cord and leave the excess piled in the shopping cart. But hey, it's their house. I feel bad that the school is getting hit with this unexpected cost at the last couple weeks before the event....but in the grand scheme of things, another $500 shouldn't make or break them honestly.
And Rick, I'd dry clothes at the events, but then I'd just have to haul in MORE stuff....laundry, dryer, more cords....just doesn't seem worth it. ;-)
And Rick, I'd dry clothes at the events, but then I'd just have to haul in MORE stuff....laundry, dryer, more cords....just doesn't seem worth it. ;-)