Advice on choosing the correct Contracted Power

[Granite]

No, there is only one figure quoted which appears under the DATOS DEL CONTRACTO after Potencia Contrada on the first page of the bill. This is why I am a tad confused as I would have expected to see somewhere a figure of 4.6kW or 5.75kW. I am with gasNatural Fenosa. If you google maximetro you will get a series of links to different companies.

Some of these links suggest that if the variable "maximetro" reading is used each billing period you effectively have an uninterrupted supply but if you exceed a contracted maximum you are penalised.

Perhaps when I receive the next bill in 3 weeks it will become clearer.

In the meantime I remain confused.

[Granite]

I have now received my next bill and this states Potencia Contrada 5.75kW. The previous bill must have reflected a change from 2.0 kW to 5.75kW part way through through the last billing period to give the figure of a Potencia Contrada 4.948kW. I must now have the old ICP replaced so we can enjoy a winter of uninterrupted power supply.

The bill does have the statement under Detalle De La Contracta "Facturacion por potencia contratada: Comprende los conceptos: la facturacion por peaje de acceso (resultado de multiplicar los kW contratados, o facturados si Ileva maximetro, por el precio del termino de potencia del peaje de acceso y el numero de dias del periodo de facturaci6n) y la facturacion por margen de comercializacion fijo." Text underlined I think only applies to 3.0A (Peaje de Acceso) supplies.

Sid - sorry if I led you to hope you may be able cut your electricity bill.

[championc]

Without meaning to automatically lump everyone into the same boat but it nearly seems like Endesa (and others) have changed everyone over to a new format of powering and billing and we have all been setup with a default allocation of 5.75, which we are now all obviously free to change lower or higher if we see fit

[Granite]

We actually requested an upgrade to the 5.75kW from the previous 2.0kW. I do not believe that Endessa or others could change individuals Potencia Contrada independently.

[maureenscot]

They do what they like. I don't know how folk don't protest. In Italy the government has added the TV licence on to the electricity bills. It is up to individuals to try to prove they do not have a tv or wifi. I am only in my house a few weeks per year. But there is no way I could begin the process of saying I don't have one.

[El Cid]

Without meaning to automatically lump everyone into the same boat but it nearly seems like Endesa (and others) have changed everyone over to a new format of powering and billing and we have all been setup with a default allocation of 5.75, which we are now all obviously free to change lower or higher if we see fit

They could not do that without changing the ICP trip in the house, and also getting you sign a new contract, for which they can charge you for the privilege, not to mention the fact that in an old house the wiring is not necessarily capable of taking the new load.

Just remember that is described as "Contracted" potencia.

Sid

[TorreDelAguila]

Correct. Unless a new contract is offered and signed, then the old one remains in operation. In the past, where a new version of an old tariff has been introduced (eg DH to replace previous Tarifa Nocturna) without significant alterations, communications have appeared on-screen and by post to explain the change.

Shifting a customer from one tariff or set of charges to another, without offering a replacement contract is quite unacceptable, and likely illegal. Where this happens, Endesa (or whoever) need to be told that they are breaking the terms of their agreed contract with you.

They remain one of the most difficult outfits to deal with, with little idea of what constitutes customer service. Errors and mistakes, some I suspect deliberate, always seem to tilt in their favour, sometimes to the tune of hundreds or thousands of Euros.

[championc]

They could not do that without changing the ICP trip in the house, and also getting you sign a new contract, for which they can charge you for the privilege, not to mention the fact that in an old house the wiring is not necessarily capable of taking the new load.

Just remember that is described as "Contracted" potencia.

Sid

I am quite sure I don't have an ICP thingy. There is the Smart Meter in a locked cabinet for our block and my apartment has a standard fuseboard with trip switches together with an ELCB

[Terry Tibbs]

I am quite sure I don't have an ICP thingy. There is the Smart Meter in a locked cabinet for our block and my apartment has a standard fuseboard with trip switches together with an ELCB

As far as I'm aware, an ICP (Interruptor de Control de Potencia) is a normal circuit breaker, calibrated to trip when the current (and hence power) exceeds its rated value. Hence I would expect one of the 'trip switches' in your apartment - the 'master' one which feeds all the others (and the RCCB/ELCB) - to be the ICP specified by the power company to match your potencia / tariff.

[TorreDelAguila]

Terry is right. Often, the ICP is a normal circuit breaker, rated at the "cut-off" current. In recent years, these are usually printed with an ICP legend. If in doubt, switching it off will knock off the whole dwelling, not just an individual circuit.

I'm always surprised how many domestic fuse/consumer panels are never labelled up with what the breakers control.

[Trooperman]

" Often, the ICP is a normal circuit breaker"

It'll also be protected by a seal so you can't change it yourself!

[championc]

Ok, so that is why the main breaker is wire sealed.

And yes, I needed to make a list of what each MCB was for !!!

[Granite]

In our area of rural NW Galicia I see many ICP seals that have been broken and illegal ICP's fitted allowing the owners to draw more power than their contracted potencia. I have never heard of anyone being caught for this but I presume with the introduction of smart meters they will be. Whether a separate sealed ICP is now a requirement if you have a smart meter and upgrade to a higher potencia I am not sure as I presume the contracted potencia can be set remotely.

[El Cid]

They fit the meters without needing to look at the fuse box so you are unlikely to be caught out. Once you have the new meter, there is nothing to stop you bypassing the old ICP, which is dead easy, then you can be sure that only the ICP in the meter is activating.

Sid

[Wicksey]

We don't have an ICP, there's just a hole in the circuit board where it should go.

We have just had our new Smart meter fitted. Our old meter blew up in a thunder storm in January and we have been waiting for it to be replaced ever since. I'm not complaining as we've had 9 months free electricity, but we did tell them about it and they have only replaced the meter now because they have done the whole of the valley. We are contracted for 4.4kw but we never trip the circuit board.

[TorreDelAguila]

Might be worth noting, while we're talking about ICPs and breakers, that Endesa have stated (several years ago) that they will only meet a claim for damage to household electrical and other equipment, caused by the supply going "over-voltage" - eg by external wiring or supply fault, or by lightning strike - if the houshold (fuseboard) is protected by an over-voltage ("sobretension") device.

These devices are the same size, shape and fitting as a normal miniature circuit breaker, but constantly monitor the incoming mains supply for extra high voltage. These rapidly trip out the supply (just like the RCD/RCCD/ELCB) when the supply hits or exceeds 260V. (There are models which trip out at lower voltages, eg 245V, but these can lead to nuisance tripping.)

Cost for an over-voltage protection trip is about €30. For a 3ph supply, you will need three of these, or alternatively a 3-way device, that monitors all three phases; these latter usually take up four breaker slots.

Connection is easy: each protection device has a connection to the Live (which it monitors), Neutral (so it is powered up) and an Earth connection. For the technical: it causes a trip-out by momentarily making a connection between live and earth, thus causing the fitted RCD to trip, every time the preset over-voltage is reached. It is therefore necessary that you already have an RCD fitted, which most installations will have, these days.

It's a good investment. Apart from delicate and expensive electronic equipment, items such as pool and water pumps, and anything with a motor (like a refrigerator) are particularly vulnerable to over-voltage. Neighbours of ours lost almost €3000 of equipment a couple of years ago, when an external wiring fault delivered 380V to their house.

The fitting of these is, of course, a job for an experienced electrician.