Utility bill costs

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peteroldracer
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Postby peteroldracer » Fri Jan 04, 2008 4:00 pm

mine also modest (210 sq m) detached 4-bed 3-bath 2-storey with pool, no air con - last bill 160€ for the 2 months to 20/12 (that is 12/20 to odd Canadians!).
Thought I should add: normal occupancy 2 persons and one Brit-cat, swollen to up to six people when family and friends descend on us!
Last edited by peteroldracer on Fri Jan 04, 2008 4:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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palmtrees
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Postby palmtrees » Fri Jan 04, 2008 4:12 pm

Don wrote:OK palmtrees for comparison purposes, not large but modest 4 bed detached villa, air con and pool.
I love it. "A modest 4-bed detached villa, air con and pool."

Not having a laugh, I just think that sounds so cool. Ojala.

Seriously thanks to everyone for posting up what your properties are, it obviously makes a huge difference to the bills.

Don

Postby Don » Fri Jan 04, 2008 4:17 pm

Bear in mind palmtrees, this is our main (one and only) house, not a holiday home. Lost the UK house as part of the divorce settlement.

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karandjon
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Postby karandjon » Fri Jan 04, 2008 9:25 pm

well, now to put a spanner in the works. we have a 150m2 one storey villa with pool and irrigation for 5200m2. no air-con. 2 people.

my last bill (jan one not arrived yet) in November. for the 2 months was €48.60 We have not yet had a bill higher than the €50ish mark.

We use electric for sky&digitalb sport tv, video/dvd recorder, nintendo wii, charging phones, laptop, lights, irrigation, pool (empty at mo), fridge/freezer, microwave, haidryer, pumping water, electric fan on woodburner, etc. all the normal things.

We have gas cooker, hot water boiler, hob and kettle. I do know that the meter goes round like crazy when using heating elements such as cooker, iron, water boiler etc, so maybe because i hardly ever iron and have gas cooker this is whats making the big difference)? Incidentally we use 2 bottles of gas at €12.50 each, every month.

Karen xxx
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peteroldracer
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Postby peteroldracer » Fri Jan 04, 2008 9:39 pm

Tha all seems to make sense Karen: based on our last bill of 160€, or 80€ per month, we don't use gas, so if I knock off your 25€ a month for that, leaves 55€, for two skyboxes, two sets of fridge freezers, pool and all the other stuff, so we end up about the same. We also burn around 90€ worth of logs per month for the 2-3 months of winter.
For budgetting, if prospective emigrants with a 3- or 4-bed house reckon on 100€ per month for power, and heating they should not get too many nasty surprises - but factor in 10% per annum for inflation.
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karandjon
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Postby karandjon » Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:05 pm

[quote="peteroldracer"]We also burn around 90€ worth of logs per month for the 2-3 months of winter.

Blimey Peter. We burn around the same per month, but burn them from mid November through to mid April - at least 5 months!!
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peteroldracer
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Postby peteroldracer » Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:08 pm

That's women for you - I've not met one yet whose circulation reaches the feet! :D :D
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karandjon
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Postby karandjon » Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:29 pm

We women cannot be blamed this time as hubby likes the fire too. :lol: People we know, all seem to have their fires for at least nov - april, who live here permenently. What about others on here? Surely we arent the only ones who feel the cold?

I must admit when we used to just come out for holidays, we hardly ever used the fire as it felt so warm compared to the UK weather we´d left behind. Thank goodness we dont have to go back to feel that kind of coldness again!!! :lol: :lol:
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waterlily
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ELECTRICITY

Postby waterlily » Sun Jan 06, 2008 7:35 am

Hmmmmmm

Methinks somewhere along the line we are being taken as plonkers. We moved into a brand new property 5 months ago and the week before Christmas we were presented with 2 bills for our electricity consumption. ! totalled 257.00 euros, the other 421.00 euros. We have 3 beds, pool etc. We used electric heaters until I recieved those bills.
Anyway can I check this out, the landlord assures me its all legit and the Bills look legit but after reading this, I'm no longer sure.

Any spare blankets going?

Waterlily

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peteroldracer
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Postby peteroldracer » Sun Jan 06, 2008 10:07 am

I suggest that you find your meter, and start taking readings - daily or weekly. Were the bills from the landlord, or from Endesa or other supplier, in your name?
If you have an Endesa bill, it will show you the dates covered, from and to, the potencia, the number of kWh, the meter rental and the costs against every factor, so you can see exactly what you are paying for.
If, on the other hand, you just get a bill for XXX€ with no breakdown, you could be being ripped off - or at least charged on an expensive basis which should be defined in your rental agreement.
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Postby palmtrees » Sun Jan 06, 2008 12:54 pm

karandjon wrote:We women cannot be blamed this time as hubby likes the fire too. :lol: People we know, all seem to have their fires for at least nov - april, who live here permenently. What about others on here? Surely we arent the only ones who feel the cold?

I must admit when we used to just come out for holidays, we hardly ever used the fire as it felt so warm compared to the UK weather we´d left behind. Thank goodness we dont have to go back to feel that kind of coldness again!!! :lol: :lol:
We've used our fire less and less. It's sunny (usually) during the day so we are often outside until (spanish) lunchtime. In the afternoon there is always the attraction of a siesta :roll:, in the evening we have something to eat and fall back into bed again.... It's hardly worth lighting a fire for that.

Added to that, if no-one has yet worked out that I am incredibly tight about the bills, we don't pay for wood. The only wood we have acquired has always been gleaned from somewhere. In the bad storms of a few years ago, we got enough timber from the beach to see us through one winter and half of the next one. We really only light the fire now when it rains.

I don't know whether we are getting tougher or tighter. No comments on that one thank you.

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Postby frank » Sun Jan 06, 2008 2:20 pm

palmtrees wrote:
I don't know whether we are getting tougher or tighter. No comments on that one thank you.
You might be able to toughen a bit more, but don't think you can get much tighter! :D Sounds like a fun filled life you lead! Not sure I could stand all that excitement. :)
Regards, Frank

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Postby palmtrees » Sun Jan 06, 2008 2:56 pm

Hey, we think it is exciting. :) We're planning a few trips, we've got some vehicle maintenance coming up, planning to get back on the bikes, oh and tbh, anything that doesn't involve getting up and going to work is the best thing ever to me. It is sheer bliss waking up on Monday morning and not having to go into the office. Mmmmm. Well worth the fun-filled frugal lifestyle. :lol:

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tjtops
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Postby tjtops » Sun Jan 06, 2008 9:31 pm

I can never understand how some people only pay a few Euros for electricity - our bill is creeping inevitably towards 200€ for 2 months - we are all-electric, for water, cooking etc, but I reckon some folk live by candlelight, with no tv or fridge, no pool, and only take cold showers!
I am extremely careful and I can't get below around 170 -- 200E each 2 months for electric, and I cook and heat water by gas....but in the campo, water is cheap and usually averages about 20E for three months!!! Swings and roundabouts....

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Postby karandjon » Sun Jan 06, 2008 10:35 pm

Hi tjtops, how many of you, is that for? See my earlier post. We cook and heat water by gas too, so bills should really be similar, as we have all mod-cons (except dishwasher - mine is human & male not electric :wink: )I can understand that cost if you have kids because of extra computers, washing etc but if its just two of you, i really dont understand why the vast difference? €50ish to €180ish is a big difference!
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tjtops
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Postby tjtops » Mon Jan 07, 2008 9:12 am

that's only for two people now (not living together!)...used to be two 'cohabiting'.. long story!!!
I agree, I think it is flipping dear, but my friend (a sparks) checked the meter and no one else is using it. Power supply is c*** too so it rather rubs salt into the wound. Mind you, when I owned a bar in town, the bill was between 700e and 850e every 2 months!!! :evil:

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tjtops
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Postby tjtops » Mon Jan 07, 2008 9:16 am

Just re-read your post karandjon, and my house is eerily similar so no, I don't understand the vast difference either.....if you wouldn't mind, could you have a look at your last bill and tell me how many actual UNITS you used?? (Maybe there is a price difference between your area and mins..she said hopefuly...)
cheers

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karandjon
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Postby karandjon » Mon Jan 07, 2008 8:31 pm

hi, Just got my bill out. We used 276 Units for our 2 monthly bill of €48.60 which works out at 4 or 5 units a day.

Hope this helps tjtops. How does it compare to yours?

Regards

Karen
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tjtops
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Postby tjtops » Mon Jan 07, 2008 10:07 pm

Now this is where I just don;t understand because mine was 1369 kWh (units)....does anyone else have any opinion on what is 'normal?'
I have to say I have NEVER heard of anyone using as little as you so maybe someone else is inadvertently being billed!
All opinions welcome!

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karandjon
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Postby karandjon » Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:40 pm

Wow, that is a lot of electric for 2 people!!! Nope, no-one else is being billed for ours. We were living in a different area of Andalucia last year in a similar place. We used everything the same except we never had irrigation for the land. Our bills there were just a little bit lower.
Infact, when we did have a large bill, once, we found that we had a leak in a water pipe, and the electric was constantly pumping water up!! As soon as we got that fixed, bills were back to €35-€40ish mark there. Are you sure something isnt inadvertently using your electric constantly, like leaky pipe or something? As someone mentioned, you should take a check of your electric meter reading daily/weekly and check it out. If you have everything on stand-by in the house and just the fridge/freezer on it shouldnt be going round too quickly. If it is, something, somewhere is using electric!!
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