Choosing / changing electricity contract

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Espana101
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Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby Espana101 » Thu Dec 28, 2017 10:22 am

We bought a 2 bed holiday apartment in Marbella over the summer, and it is probably being used one week in six, with only 2 people staying in it. Electricity consumption is minimal: it is a cool apartment and does not require aircon, the water heating and hob are gas powered, and the only serious electricity used is by the washing machine and fridge/freezer. Apart from the fridge/freezer, no electricity is used at night.

Our lawyer arranged the electricity contract with Endesa, and I have finally (long story) managed to get hold of the first couple of bills which come to €150 and €130. This seems high to me, for the minimal use, although the apartment was used more over the first couple of months so the differential is not surprising.

It looks to me that we may be on a day/night tariff (Producto contratado: Tempo Nocturna), which I would not have thought to be a promising start given the way we use the apartment, although it does seem from the usage figures below, that it may make sense (?).

Our 'Potencia contratada' is 9,873 kW, and this is what our most recent bill shows as the chargeable items :-

Importe por potencia contratada: 9,873 kW x 0,115994 Eur/kW x 71 días 81,31 €
En dicho importe, facturación por peaje de acceso: 9,873 kW x 38,043426 Eur/kW y año x (71/365) días 73,06 €
81,31 €
Importe por energía consumida:
Consumo P1 158 kWh x 0,167452 Eur/kWh 26,46 €
Consumo P3 167 kWh x 0,081407 Eur/kWh 13,59 €
En dicho importe, su facturación por peaje de acceso ha sido:
Consumo P1 158 kWh x 0,062012 Eur/kWh 9,80 €
Consumo P3 167 kWh x 0,002215 Eur/kWh 0,37 €
40,05 €
SUBTOTAL 121,36 €

The bills seem high, given the mnimial amount of usage I don't really understand how the 9.873Kw contracted element works and whether we are on the right contract, or are losing out from being on the contract which we have been put on. The contract seems to be valid until July 2018, so I am not sure what our options are before / after that .

Any thoughts very gratefully received !

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firsttango
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby firsttango » Thu Dec 28, 2017 10:40 am

Your "Potencia Contratada" of 9.873 is way OTT and is a major factor in your very high bills. From what you say in your post I would suggest you go to Endesa and get it reduced to around 4.00 which is ample and would be far cheaper. Go to the local office and they should be able to calculate whats best for your needs and change your contract accordingly

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Trooperman
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby Trooperman » Thu Dec 28, 2017 10:46 am

Hi! There are others who have their fingers on the pulse when it comes to electricity....such as El Cid......so expect some helpful info later, but you'll need to address the "potencia" question: that is a maximum amount you are allowed to draw from the "grid" in one go (as it were) and your contracted amount is the maximum for a 2 phase setup. As an occasional occupier with some gas appliances you won't need 9.873 Kw: 5 will be quite adequate and maybe even 3.3 would be sufficient and, the higher the contracted amount, the higher the standing charges.
Work out how many watts you reasonably need at any one moment: kettle + TV + phone + etc etc and that, plus a margin for prudence, is what you should contract for.
Come on now El Cid and give us the full info!
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Espana101
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby Espana101 » Thu Dec 28, 2017 10:50 am

Thanks for the helpful responses to date ! One thing I did not ask, is whether I should be shopping around and looking at suppliers other than Endesa. I don't want to go through that hassle only to save €100 a year (although every bit counts), so am interested only if it would make a real difference, which I guess is not that likely once we get the 'potencia' issue sorted out.

Out of interest, what happens if one picks too low a potencia ??

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Trooperman
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby Trooperman » Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:02 am

"Out of interest, what happens if one picks too low a potencia ??"

It'll trip out.......so you won;'t be able to use the kettle AND the hairdryer at the same time!
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country boy
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby country boy » Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:06 am

In answer to your last question there is a sealed trip installed to "govern" the supply. If demand exceeds the set amount it trips and you have to re-set it, which is tedious but not totally a life ruining moment, it's only a switch. They do tend to be inaccurate in some instances and trip for no apparent reason. We had a neutral /earth trip which tripped every time there was a flash of lightning, i bought a new one and it's never happened again. Our potencia is 6.6 and I have never tripped it even when I'm welding.

Espana101
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby Espana101 » Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:13 am

Again, thanks to all. As I am now getting a better understanding of what I am looking for here (and that this is the total usage of all the equipment which might be on at any one time), I should clarify that this would never exceed :-

the fridge/freezer
approx 200W of lighting (we have switched to LED's)
the washing machine
the drier
the TV
(just possibly) the aircon which is a centralised unit serving a couple of rooms.

The equipment is mainly 10-15 years old, so is pretty eco-unfriendly.

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firsttango
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby firsttango » Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:21 am

Should be able to work out your needs here
https://www.endesaclientes.com/homes/calculator.html

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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby El Cid » Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:23 am

Yes, your contracted potencia is way too high. 3.3 should be adequate since you do not have any water heating or electric hob.

The Nocturna tariff gives you much cheaper consumption in the off peak hours (10pm to 12 noon in winter, an hour later in summer) with a slightly higher charge for the remaining peak period. It can save a lot of money if you are a high user and can organise the usage of high consumption devices in the off peak time, but in your case it is going to be very marginal as the only device that would fall into that category would be the washing machine.

Sid

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Wicksey
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby Wicksey » Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:50 am

A friend on the nocturna tariff told me about Endesa's Happy Tiempo whereby he gets 2 free hours of electricity each day, choosing which hours he gets free. I had a look but you have to be on the nocturna tariff to qualify which we're not.

Espana101 we have 4.4kw but we do have electric water heating but that is plenty. Some nights we have the aircon heating on plus another radiator and the water heating on and it's never tripped out.

Just as a comparison for you, my latest monthly bill was:
4.4kw/h x 38,043426 €/kw y año (30/365 dias) = 13.76€
and consumption:
Importe por peaje de acceso:
218kwh x 0.044027 = 9.60€
Importe por coste dela energia
218kwh x 0.084391 = 18.40€

Total bill for 218kwh consumption was 55.50€ including taxes

Espana101
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby Espana101 » Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:14 pm

I have just dug a little deeper on the Endesa website and I see this :-

Now you have contracted
Hired potency 9.873 kW
Time Discrimination: With DH
Tension: Triphasic
Your max power: 16.435 kW

So, it seems that although I am contracted at 9.873kW, my max power is 16.435kW. I am not sure how / why that is (let alone why I should be on 'triphahic', when I obviously only need single phase). Is that how it normally works ??

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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby El Cid » Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:23 pm

You certainly don't need a 3 phase supply. That is usually only required if you need more than 10kw. The 16kw is the max you can have if you needed it.

That possibly explains why you have a 9.8kw supply as if that is actually 3 phase the potencia trip will consist of three separate trips of 3.3kw. It seems to me that you need to think about getting the installation changed over to single phase with a 3.3 kw supply.

That will probably mean a new meter and some changes to the wiring which could all work out rather expensive. I would be inclined to get a decent electrician to look at what you have.

Sid

Espana101
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby Espana101 » Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:34 pm

Thanks for the info. I do have the option also to adjust the phase (from triple to single) online, as well as the potencio. I will probably need to speak to Endesa, but it is helpful to have the answers before asking the questions !!

El Cid
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby El Cid » Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:39 pm

Out of interest, do you have one of the new digital meters?

Sid

Espana101
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby Espana101 » Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:44 pm

I have not actually ever seen my meter, as it is in a locked cupboard in a communal area of the block !! I am guessing that I may do, as the Endesa website shows my consumption on a daily basis split between peak and off-peak, so I am guessing that there must be a smart meter of some sort (which I assume would be digital) ??

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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby El Cid » Thu Dec 28, 2017 1:26 pm

I don't have a digital meter so I get an ordinary bill. From what you say it sounds like you have one. Hopefully it will make the chageover easier.

Let us know how you get on.

Sid

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chrissiehope
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby chrissiehope » Thu Dec 28, 2017 2:17 pm

Once you have got it all sorted out, take a look at Iberdrola.They are a large energy supplier, and for me it has two advantages - first, I am on a fixed monthly payment by direct debit, so I know there are no nasty surprises; & second the website is available in English, & they have English speakers available on the phone (I think Endesa do now as well)
I changed over several years ago, & have been very happy with them :-)
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby Lyric » Thu Dec 28, 2017 2:29 pm

first, I am on a fixed monthly payment by direct debit, so I know there are no nasty surprises; & second the website is available in English, & they have English speakers available on the phone (I think Endesa do now as well)
Both these are available with Endesa too, as is the excellent on-line chat.

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chrissiehope
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby chrissiehope » Thu Dec 28, 2017 2:42 pm

OK, fair enough - they weren't when I changed - as I said, it was several years ago ;-)
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Espana101
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Re: Choosing / changing electricity contract

Postby Espana101 » Thu Dec 28, 2017 3:06 pm

Thanks again for all the replies. Endesa seem quite helpful and responsive in English, so I will probably stick with them unless there is a meaningful saving to be made elsewhere, although the fixed monthly payment sounds interesting so I will explore that.

One thing I am wondering is whether, as the potencia can be changed online, I can simply change this down and up during periods of potential almost zero use, medium use when we are over for a visit, and potential max use in high summer if we ever decide to let out the apartment. As it seems to be billed on a daily basis maybe this is an option ? I will try and check with Endesa whether there are any limits on how often this can be done, but I wondered if this was something that people had considered as it seems a potentially easy money saving technique.


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