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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.

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From

Duration

Party Size

Location

Date	Product	Customer Comment
19-Nov-2024	Knockanbuie Cottage EB4 (overall)	This was our second stay at Knockanbuie, previous stay April 2021, and we were not disappointed. Walking in to the warmth of the cosy kitchen was just as we remembered. The spacious living room could maybe benefit from some upgraded Sofas, but to be honest this did not detract from our stay. The beds however are the most comfortable of any holiday cottage we’ve ever stayed in. The garden is amazing, from lawned front garden to woodland at the back, our GSD Watson enjoyed exploring every inch and we were settled in the knowledge that the grounds are secure. There are Red Squirrels in the trees and Pheasants on the lawns and much more bird life in between. If you want to explore then the cottage is perfectly situated for adventuring further afield. Totally recommend Cardhu Distillery which is only a short drive.. Looking forward to our next visit. Thank you Yvonne, Jon and Watson
19-Nov-2024	Black Isle Cottage BJ7 (overall)	I have booked holidays often through Unique Cottages and found them to be very helpful and easy to deal with.
18-Nov-2024	Tigh Fraoich HB7 (overall)	Fabulous house, so well equipped, always warm, lots of hot water and comfy bed and great views. The pub in Carbost we can recommend for lovely food and friendly staff.
17-Nov-2024	The Old Lobster House BC8 (overall)	It's the second time we have booked through unique cottages, it's always a straightforward process and if there are any queries it's easy enough to enquire with good customer service.
17-Nov-2024	Canmore Cottage BD7 (overall)	Fine house, nice location in the village. Comfortable living room and beds. Shower didn't always gave (enough) warm water
17-Nov-2024	Stob Ban HE5 (overall)	Clean property, well equipped and lovely welcome pack. Property needs some attention though regarding severely creaking doors and windows which will not stay open without a prop.
17-Nov-2024	Springfield Cottage EZ7 (overall)	Good informative website with all necessary filters to make a decision on choosing the best available cottage. Easy booking process.
16-Nov-2024	Viewmount House HD8 (overall)	easy booking and great service
16-Nov-2024	Garden Cottage at Ashintully AG8 (overall)	Very amenable and responsive host. Sorted out a small issue first day of our stay. Lots of local information of things to do in the cottage. Hot water and Heating system is fine once it’s understood, and cottage as warm as toast, (we stayed mid November). We had the pleasure of highland cattle outside our back door! The estate staff we met were very friendly and informative, we enjoyed lovely walks, scenery, and very comfortable beds. A little tlc inside cottage wouldn’t go amiss, but there were some very kind extras such as the welcome pack (Mel’s marmalade…..yum!), endless free logs to burn, and we would love to come back.
16-Nov-2024	Easter Harden Cottage DP6 (overall)	The location is lovely and the surroundings are beautiful, particularly in the morning light. The space and layout of the cottage is practical. We stayed as a couple but had friends stay for one night so were charged for 4 people for the week. I agree with previous reviews about the "welcome package" and lack of cleaning materials (e.g. we had one bin bag). Having to calculate 4 lots of meter readings is not something I expected to do on holiday. We thought that the £50 already included would be enough for a 2 person stay for a week but it wasn't and we had most of the heaters off. It seems you pay for being required to have the Aga on 24/7; although the cottage was still quite cold in the bedroom and living areas. One of the biggest issues we had was the lack of clean drinking water. We were only told the night before our stay that the water had failed testing so we would have to boil everything for drinking. This was really impractical for us and as one of us is immuno-compromised it was more of a concern. We would not have booked to stay somewhere where we couldn't drink the water. We were only left one 2L bottle of water and had to buy a lot for the week which was an irritation from a financial and environmental perspective. Boiling water was not practical as it left a sediment and took a long time to cool. This may have contributed to the electricity bill! There was no real apology for this from Unique Cottages or the owners. I have tried to raise it with Unique Cottages and have had no response. I think the stay was very average compared to other cottages we have stayed at and a bit overpriced for what you get compared with other stays we have had with Unique Cottages. The towels were like sandpaper and beds not very comfortable (would have expected better for price).