Campground Utility Cost Calculator
Utilities are the line that quietly sinks an RV park's NOI. Estimate annual electric, water, and sewer cost per site from your hookups, usage, rates, and occupancy — before you trust the seller's number.
Estimates only — confirm against 12 months of real utility bills.
Drop this into the main calculator's operating costs.
Utilities decide more deals than people think
On a full-hookup park, electric, water, and sewer can run 10%–20% of gross revenue — and sellers routinely understate them. A per-site utility figure lets you sanity-check the T-12, decide whether to sub-meter and bill back high-draw sites, and price new site types so they actually clear a profit. Get this number wrong and an "8% cap" can quietly become a 6%.
Common questions
Why calculate utility cost per site?
It's the cleanest way to compare parks of different sizes and spot whether a site type is profitable. It also signals when metered billing pays off, and feeds straight into your expense ratio and NOI.
What drives most of the consumption?
Electric is usually the largest line (A/C and electric heat); 50-amp full-hookup sites use far more than 30-amp or no-hookup. Water and sewer track occupancy and length of stay. Climate and season length matter enormously.
How can I reduce utility costs?
Sub-meter and bill back electric on long-term/50-amp sites, fix leaks fast, install low-flow fixtures, switch common areas to LED and timers, and consider solar for offices and bathhouses. Metered billing alone often cuts the electric line materially.
What's a typical infrastructure maintenance %?
Many operators budget about 5%–15% on top of raw utility cost for upkeep of pedestals, lines, lift stations, and well/septic. Older parks should budget toward the high end.
Keep underwriting
See the RV resort we underwrote with these tools
Van Isle Dreamery Estates RV Park — a “forest-and-coast” boutique RV resort on Vancouver Island, modelled with these same calculators.