Every pedestal on an Australian marina arm feeds boats that are increasingly power-hungry: air conditioning running through the summer, fridges, chargers, and the liveaboard's whole household. With electricity prices where they are, a marina that folds power into a flat berth fee is quietly paying its customers' bills, and the modest users are subsidising the heavy ones. Metered utility billing fixes both problems: measure per berth, bill actual usage.
This guide covers how metered power and water billing should work at a marina and what to look for.
- Power at the pedestal is a real and rising marina cost.
- Flat fees make modest users subsidise heavy users and expose the marina to price rises.
- Metering per berth and billing actual usage is fairer and safer.
- Readings should land on the invoice automatically, not be typed across.
- Usage billing belongs in the same invoice as the berth fee, with GST.
#Why meter at all
A flat power charge worked when boats ran a fridge and a battery charger. Modern boats, and especially liveaboards, draw serious power, and energy prices have climbed. Under a flat fee, the marina absorbs the increase and the sailor with an LED lamp subsidises the cruiser running air conditioning all February. Metering per berth means everyone pays for what they use, and the marina's exposure to price rises drops to zero. Our general guide to metered electricity billing covers the model in depth.
#Readings straight to the invoice
The failure mode of metering is manual: someone walks the arms writing numbers on a clipboard, someone else types them into invoices, and the mistakes start. Readings should flow into the system and onto the invoice automatically, as a line item beside the berth fee, GST handled, through the same recurring billing as everything else.
#Water, and what else the pedestal knows
The same logic applies to water where it is metered, and usage data has a second life: a berth drawing power around the clock when the owner is overseas is worth a phone call, and consumption patterns across the marina inform infrastructure planning. The meter is a billing tool first, but it is also eyes on the berth.
#What to look for
- 1Metering per berth for power, and water where fitted.
- 2Readings that land on the invoice automatically.
- 3Usage as a line item beside the berth fee, with GST.
- 4Tariffs you can update as energy prices move.
- 5Usage visibility for both the marina and the customer.
Marine OS is built for marinas first and is in early access. Metered utility billing is part of the core, with readings flowing to invoices beside the berth fee. Specific pedestal and meter hardware integrations are something we scope in a demo rather than overclaim, so book one and we will show you honestly what fits.
Bill power on usage, not guesswork
Marine OS meters usage per berth and puts it on the invoice automatically, beside the berth fee with GST. It is in early access with a 7-day free trial, no credit card required.
7-day free trial. No credit card required.
#Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Related reading: marina billing software for Australia and metered electricity billing.
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