From Campsite Power Pedestals to Cloud Energy Management: Why LoRaWAN Metering Fits Europe’s RV Parks

IVY EM114039-01 combines EU868 LoRaWAN, MID-certified single-phase metering, remote reading and relay-based load control for distributed campsite electricity management.

Europe’s camping and caravanning sector is no longer a niche tourism market. According to Eurostat, nights spent at camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks in the EU reached 413 million in 2025, up 28.5% from 2015. France alone recorded 154 million nights, followed by Spain, Italy and Germany. For campsite operators, this growth brings a practical infrastructure challenge: more electric pitches, cabins, service buildings and EV charging loads have to be measured and managed across large, distributed sites.

The operating pattern of campsites makes the challenge even more specific. Eurostat reports that 67% of camping and caravanning nights in 2025 were concentrated between June and August. During these seasonal peaks, manual meter reading, on-site switching and fixed communication wiring can quickly become inefficient. A modern campsite needs to know how much electricity each pitch or accommodation unit is using, allocate costs accurately and turn circuits on or off without sending staff across the entire site.

This is where LoRaWAN smart metering fits naturally. Campsite electrical points are typically scattered across outdoor areas rather than concentrated in one building. A LoRaWAN architecture allows small packets of meter data to be transmitted wirelessly from distribution boxes or protected power pedestals to a gateway, reducing the need for dedicated communication cabling between every meter and the management system.

IVY METERING’s EM114039-01 is a single-phase smart electricity meter designed for this kind of distributed IoT metering. The meter supports EU868 LoRaWAN remote communication and local TTL communication with Modbus protocol. It measures key parameters including voltage, current, active energy, power and power factor, while a built-in 80A magnetic latching relay enables remote connection and disconnection of the load. The 2-module DIN-rail design makes it suitable for installation inside protected campsite distribution boxes and electrical cabinets.

For campsite operation, the value lies in combining measurement with control. A meter can be assigned to an individual pitch, cabin or small distribution branch. Operators can read consumption remotely, use prepaid or postpaid operating modes, monitor remaining credit, and disconnect a circuit when a guest checks out or when power should no longer be supplied. IVY also identifies the EM114039 family for RV campground applications, where remote monitoring and load control can reduce manual intervention and unnecessary energy use.

Billing and cost allocation also matter. The EU Measuring Instruments Directive 2014/32/EU includes active electrical energy meters under MI-003 for residential, commercial and light-industrial use. MID-certified variants of the EM114039-01 can therefore support projects where metered electricity is used for cost allocation or billing, subject to the applicable national rules and installation requirements.

The same infrastructure can support a broader campsite energy strategy. As sites add solar PV, battery storage, electric vehicle charging and more electrically equipped accommodation, operators need clearer visibility of where electricity is being consumed. LoRaWAN sub-metering can provide the field data for dashboards, tariff systems and energy-management platforms without turning every new electrical point into a communication-wiring project.

For European campsites and RV parks, the next step in electrification is not simply adding more sockets. It is making distributed electricity measurable, controllable and easier to operate. With EU868 LoRaWAN, single-phase direct metering, remote load control and MID-certified options, IVY EM114039-01 provides a practical building block for connected campsite energy management.