The Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO) has named Florida-based Wild Energy as its Supplier of the Year, recognizing the company’s work helping campgrounds and RV parks reduce utility costs through water and electricity sub-metering technology.
Wild Energy, based in Sarasota, Florida, provides wireless sub-metering technology and utility monitoring software that allows campground and RV park operators to track electricity and water usage at individual sites and charge guests based on actual consumption.
The company has expanded rapidly since 2021, growing from approximately 10 campground and RV park customers to hundreds of parks across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.
Wild Energy initially focused on electricity metering before expanding into water metering services.
Mike Sorensen, president and CEO of Wild Energy, said park operators often struggle to accurately account for utility costs because guest consumption varies widely.
“It is difficult for park operators to guess how much electricity their guests will consume and build that cost into their rates because people have different power consumption habits,” the press release indicates.
According to Sorensen, utility-inclusive campsite pricing can create disparities between guests who conserve electricity and those with higher consumption. He said weather conditions and fluctuating utility rates also make it difficult for operators to predict expenses.
Wild Energy said its technology helps park operators transfer utility costs directly to guests based on actual usage while also encouraging conservation. Sorensen said parks that install electric sub-meters typically experience a 30% reduction in power consumption.
The company added that water meters can help operators identify leaks early and reduce water losses, while electric meters can detect voltage problems before they develop into larger infrastructure issues. Sorensen said sub-metering also helps operators better forecast current and future revenue.
The growing use of larger RVs, electric vehicles and golf carts has increased demand for utility monitoring and management in campgrounds and RV parks. Sorensen said sub-metering systems can also help extend the lifespan of electrical infrastructure by identifying outages and other operational issues.
Wild Energy said organizations using its energy management systems since 2019 have collectively reduced more than 7 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.