Is a fixed amount per night for energy permitted?

Actual consumption is the starting point, not a fixed amount

A fixed amount per night for energy is not automatically permitted; in most cases, energy costs are expected to be passed on based on actual consumption, measured via a meter. This principle is reflected in how the Rental Disputes Committee views utility service charges for residential tenancies: costs for gas, water and electricity are typically settled based on meter readings, with an advance payment that is reconciled against actual consumption afterwards. At the ACM, the emphasis is on something similar, but from the perspective of energy supply: anyone who supplies electricity to another party is expected to do so at a price that reflects what was actually consumed, and not at an arbitrary fixed rate that is unrelated to actual usage.

This does not mean that a fixed amount per night is by definition impossible — holiday rental, for example, is not subject to the rules applied by the Rental Disputes Committee for regular residential tenancies, and for short-term stays there is no exact regulation that prohibits a fixed rate. However, a discussion arises as soon as a fixed amount structurally deviates from what guests actually consume: with high consumption the guest pays too little, with low consumption too much, and that touches precisely the point that both the Rental Disputes Committee and the ACM highlight — costs should follow the actual supply.

What the Rental Disputes Committee and the ACM say about this

The Rental Disputes Committee describes on its website how utility service charges for residential tenancies are assessed, with the meter reading as the starting point for settlement. The ACM describes on its pages on energy and supply the conditions under which someone may supply electricity to another party, and the role that actual consumption plays in this. Both sources operate from a different framework than short-term holiday rental, but the line that emerges from them — settling based on measured consumption rather than a fixed amount — is the same.