Forums > General > Living, Working, Retiring

1 2 View All

counselr10

Jun 16, 2006, 5:28 PM

Post #1 of 49 (4156 views)

Shortcut

electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

i came to chapala a few months ago and got most of my cost of living info from chapala.com
mostly accurate except electricity.
it says about $20 for 2 months. I think they use candles.
my rental agent gave me my first bill for 45 days. $1800 pesos.
That was about what i paid in oregon with air cond and a total electric house.
Where i live now we have an all gas house. We use fans all night and when we are home. I cant figure what sucks up our electricity.
my rental agent says she pays about the same. however she told me it depends where you live. Some of her properties pay half thzt amount and they are in the same area of town.
What is your electric bills like? Cant wait to hear from the ones that pay $20 a month
How great is our God
Under His protection

johanson

Jun 16, 2006, 6:10 PM

Post #2 of 49 (4126 views)

Shortcut

Re: [counselr10] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

Your question is a good one. Remember, that electricity is charged in a different manner in Mexico than in the US. If you use less than I believe 300 KWH/month you are charged around 5 to 7 cents US per KWH. (maybe it's 500KWH/two months, I can't remember)

However should you use more than 250 or 300 KWH/month then you are charged about 22 cents per KWH for all electricity used. Ask to look at the electrical bill. There are a few words there you wont understand, but most data is is understandable.

All electrical terms are spelled about the same as they are in English. The only catch is you've got to remember what these electrical terms mean, something that was taught to me in my 9th grade General Science class, something that many folks our age can no longer remember.

However if the amount is $1800 pesos then you must have had a pretty big house with a lot of pumps and probably a pool . My bigger house www.casajohanson.com has a larger bill. My smaller house, the one I live in, uses slightly less than that.

song_of_joy

Jun 16, 2006, 6:13 PM

Post #3 of 49 (4126 views)

Shortcut

Re: [counselr10] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

I live in a 2 BR/2 BA apartment in Guadalajara with 2 kids who are almost never here. Except for a 21-year old Samsung microwave that is still going strong, all our appliances are relatively new energy saving models.

2 computers, 3 ceiling fans on most of the day 7 days a week. 3 TVs, one usually running. Brand new electric water pump. No dishwasher or electric heaters. We almost never use the toaster or coffee pot. The place is sunny so we use lights only briefly in the bathrooms during the day.

I peeked at the stack of electric bills for the building yesterday. The highest was around 750 pesos for the last bimester. Mine was -- gasp! -- 1,700 pesos.

My computer wizard says that a computer uses almost as much current as a TV. I work online all day.

But still... gosh!

(This post was edited by song_of_joy on Jun 16, 2006, 6:23 PM)

juditha16

Jun 16, 2006, 7:30 PM

Post #4 of 49 (4113 views)

Shortcut

Re: [song_of_joy] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

We live in Morelia, a family of two. Our first electric bill was $444. pesos. This included two weeks of the former owner, two weeks of an empty house, and one month with our living here (full-time, but still unpacking.) Our April-May bill arrived last week for $1250 pesos! OMIGOD!! I checked my neighbors' bills (we share a mailbox in our six unit privada.) Their bills were all $400-$450 pesos. We must be doing something wrong.

We have a gas stove and gas water heater, but an electric pump for the tinaco, five ceiling fans, two computers and a 42" TV. We don't watch much TV, but the computers are always on. Oh, we also have a portable microwave/ convection oven. I decided the problem must be the convection oven. We've started turning off the lights and fans when we're not in the room. I've stopped using the convection oven. I try to remember to turn off my computer in the afternoon and Nancy will start turning hers off at night. I hope this helps. With no air conditioning, I couldn't believe the bill was so high. I hope it goes down next month.
Judith

counselr10

Jun 16, 2006, 7:52 PM

Post #5 of 49 (4096 views)

Shortcut

Re: [johanson] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

i have no pool and only 1 pump. I guess per kw hour electricity costs much more here. in a few weeks we are moving from la foresta to west ajijic. It will be a smaller and newer house.
So much for $20 usd for 2 months

i
How great is our God
Under His protection

Jerry@Ajijic

Jun 16, 2006, 9:04 PM

Post #6 of 49 (4065 views)

Shortcut

Re: [counselr10] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

We live in Chula Vista, Ajijic and have 2 computers that are used a lot. Our bill usually runs about 1,900 pesos for 2 months.

Bloviator

Jun 17, 2006, 5:20 AM

Post #7 of 49 (4039 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Jerry@Ajijic] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

We easily beat the $20 US for the first four months of living here. We got two bills of $35 Pesos. I knew they weren't reading the meter and tried to get them to do so. Nothing happened until Christmas time - you know, the time when you have lots of money with nothing to use it for. Then I got a bill for $9,200 pesos. "Feliz Navidad and here's your bill." I figure that it cost me between $50 and $100 US for their failure to read my meter and charge me what I should have paid. Most of the bill was at the highest rate and we are of course on the accellerated rate for at least six months.

OUr two most recent bills were $1,400 Pesos and $2,600 pesos. Others have told me that the rates have gone up recently.

bfwpdx

Jun 17, 2006, 6:47 AM

Post #8 of 49 (4023 views)

Shortcut

Re: [counselr10] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

In these threads nobody has mentioned the use of washing machines, dryers andrefrigerators, all of which consume enormous amounts of electricity. Anyone out there find alternatives for these appliances, like open air drying or gas refrigerators?

esperanza

Jun 17, 2006, 7:51 AM

Post #9 of 49 (4005 views)

Shortcut

Re: [counselr10] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

Notes from my most recent electric bill:

Facturación (how the bill is calculated)
Básico..................up to 150 kwh......................................0.603 pesos/kwh
Intermedio...........150-250 kwh........................................0.995 pesos/kwh
Excedente............(anything over 250 kwh)......................2.101 pesos/kwh

If you look at your electric bill, you will find the same figures listed under Facturación.

I live in a house with a water pressure system, two pumps, two electric garage door openers, three televisions, seven ceiling fans, a brand new energy-saver refrigerator, a washing machine, several electric clocks, two computers which are left on 24 hours/day, and many lamps and other lights.

My total bill for 29 March through 30 May 2006 was 665 pesos. That cost seems quite reasonable.

We are extremely careful about turning lights and ceiling fans off when we are not in the room. The CFE (electric company) told me that a computer uses negligible energy and would not remarkably increase the bill if left on 24 hours a day.

Another poster mentioned that it would be at least six months before his electric bill would reflect a lower rate. That is correct. CFE told me that it takes three bimestres (two-month billing periods) before the rate which has been billed in the excedente category would be lowered to the intermedio or básico categories.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Bloviator

Jun 17, 2006, 7:57 AM

Post #10 of 49 (4000 views)

Shortcut

Re: [esperanza] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

I was told by a Mexican national who usually provides accurate information that Mexican nationals pay different rates. At the time it made sense. However, in retrospect, though he showed us a bill (as part of a Spanish lesson), I have begun to believe that it is impossible to differentiate effectively. Does anyone have any knowledge of this difference.

The point that we use an immense amount of electricity for all of our appliances compared to a normal Mexican is unquestionable. The sliding scale effectively does what I was told happened, but that is not what he told us was the case.

Bubba

Jun 17, 2006, 8:48 AM

Post #11 of 49 (3988 views)

Shortcut

Re: [dlyman6500] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

I think that if you compared the electric bills of Mexican Nationals who live full time in the mansions on the lake in west Ajijic to the bills of foreigners who have pools, fans, washing machines,computors etc, the rate would be the same. If you can live like the village people do, with one small fridge if any, a small tv and one light bulb on at a time, the bill would be considerably lower. Many times what we think is necessary to us is a luxury for the Mexicans who live in the village on moderate or lower income.

1ajijic

Jun 17, 2006, 10:19 AM

Post #12 of 49 (3963 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Bubba] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

Counselor,
Have you also considered that maybe the previous people/renters were profligate users and you are paying the bad guy higher rate?
http://www.newbeginningsmexico.com

Bloviator

Jun 17, 2006, 11:30 AM

Post #13 of 49 (3942 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Bubba] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

I think you are right, but what I was originally referring to was a specific discount given to Mexican nationals. I don't see how that could be done, and don't remember the exact explanation that I heard eight months ago. Just thought someone might have information about such a MN discount.

jennifer rose

Jun 17, 2006, 11:56 AM

Post #14 of 49 (3932 views)

Shortcut

Re: [dlyman6500] electric bill

Can't Post |

The citizenship of the consumer does not affect electrical rates.

See http://cfe.gob.mx/es/InformacionAlCliente/ahorrodeenergia/ for data on consumption rates for various electrical appliances.

olalla

Jun 17, 2006, 6:53 PM

Post #15 of 49 (3875 views)

Shortcut

Re: [counselr10] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

We just received our electric bill, which was 900 pesos higher than the previous bill. We called in an electrician, and learned the following. Electric rates have just increased by 10%. That increased pulled us up a cost category. The biggest draw on our electricity is our ceiling fans, which have been going non-stop during April and May. Since we have two meters, the electrician is going to reroute a couple of fans to the lower use meter.

Smartin

Jun 17, 2006, 7:47 PM

Post #16 of 49 (3861 views)

Shortcut

Re: [olalla] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

I have two friends living in the same development in Ensenada. The american, (a single wwoman) is EXTREEMly frugal, NEVER uses her dishwasher, hos only one light on in the house at a time, and sometimes she turns all the lights off and uses those candles in tall glsses. No electric heaters. She only uses the computer sparingly, and always turns it off after she uses it. She has a gas hot water heater and gas stove. (NO AC or Heat) Has only one 20" TV that she never watches. Her electric bill runs around two hundred dollars every two months.

My other friend (two people, one Mexican) has two computers on all the time, (her husband works from his computer and she in on-line all the time) They have three tv's and watch TV every night. Always use lights at night as opposed to candles. Their bill runs between $25 to $40 a month. I have stayed in both places. I tend to agree with the poster that was told there are two different rates. The single woman is WAY more conservative with electricity than the married couple.

thriftqueen

Jun 17, 2006, 9:25 PM

Post #17 of 49 (3837 views)

Shortcut

Re: [counselr10] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

Our recent 2 month electric billing was 2,165.57 pesos, with the exchange rate of 11.40 US= $194.00 for two months. We have a washer, dryer, 2 ACs, Microwave, 5 ceiling fans, 5' freezer, fridge, hot pot for water, toaster, computer, no TV. We also have our own water well system with 2 pumps,one pump provides a pressure system to the house and second pump provides water to 1 acre of garden area.

We use many 40W bulbs in areas where we don't need as must light as a reading area requires (that is a KW saver) we are very aware of turning off any unneeded lights. I worked for an electric company in the US and know how to be as efficient as possible. Yes, I know the items listed above don't look energy saving but considering the amount of KWs we use we aren't complaining about our bill, even though we shudder when we receive it.

Esperanza clearly breaks down the electric billing system which is a 3 tier system. Basico, Intermedio, Excedente. Unlike the US electric system of the more you use the cheaper the rate, in Mexico the more you use the higher the cost per KWH.

The Mexican National is charged the same rate per KWH as anyone else. We have two different Mx neighbors who live in 2 room houses and they have only a TV, fridge and one light bulb in each room. They use only the basic rate so their bill is much less. Another Mx neighbor, a family of 5 has a larger home with more of the things we Americanos cherish. Their cost per KWH is the same as ours as they move into the top tier. Another Mx friend has a very large home with an extended family and her billing rate is exactly the same as ours. No one gets a break in this system. Compare your bill to your neighbor's, I mean not the amount of the total bill but look at the 3 tiers on each bill. It will help you begin to understand how the system works. My husband has it down to a science. He reads our meter each month and now can predict how much our billing is going to be. Then he runs in to tell me. I tell him not to share the bad news with me, I prefer to wait for the recibo to be dropped in the buzon.

Back in Nov. 2005 there was an interesting discussion about the monthly cost of living in MX. Do a search on monthly expenses and you will see that the cost of electricity varied greatly but still wasn't listed as cheap.

Counselor, one question - did your property manager present you with the actual CFE bill or did she present a bill prepared by her office? I would request that she provide me with a actual CFE bill each time.

(This post was edited by thriftqueen on Jun 17, 2006, 9:28 PM)

johanson

Jun 18, 2006, 1:10 AM

Post #18 of 49 (3814 views)

Shortcut

Re: [thriftqueen] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

The following comments are not meant to attack the original poster nor Esperanza who gave actual data, but many of you have been giving general facts talking about how much you paid, but never mentioning how much electricity you used. It is sort of like saying that I paid so much for gasoline for the month and then some general comments about where I drove, but never mentioning how many miles I drove, and then me asking you if I paid too much for some unknown amount of gasoline.

Please folks, when you talk about how much you paid for electricity, let us know how much you used, so that we can judge whether you paid too much for the quantity you paid for. How do you determine how much electricity you used? You look at the meter in front of your house that tells you how much you used. It's that simple. Or if you do not know how to read your meter, tell us what your your CFE bill said. They tell you how much you are being charged for.

Just for the heck of it, I went one step further and measured that my PC uses 64 watts per hour, the 19 inch CRT monitor 93, and the scanner and printer when on standby 9 and 4 watts respectively for a grand total of 170 watts per hour. At 8 hours per day and 26 days per month, that equates to 35.4 KWH per month. Unlike some of you who might be charged at the Tariff classification of 1a,1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, etc I am charged at the DAC rate or at 2.46 pesos per every KWH that I use plus IVA.

I am charged 35.4 times $2.46 + 15% or $100 pesos per month to keep my computer on 8 hours per day 26 days per month.

Read your bill carefully and then if you have questions, go to http://www.cfe.gob.mx/...ente/conocetutarifa/ and check it out. Please talk specifics here, that way one can give you a specific answer. Remember there are many variables here.

Rolly

Jun 18, 2006, 5:37 AM

Post #19 of 49 (3807 views)

Shortcut

Some reasons why...

Can't Post | Private Reply

Some of the posts in this thread speak of unreasonably high bills, and some report bills that seem too low. Here are some things to consider if you feel your bill is way wrong.

After you have carefully inventoried your power usage, if you still feel your bill is too high, the three most common reasons are:

1. Your wiring has a low-grade short that is draining power. A “dead” short will blow a fuse or trip a breaker, but a low-grade short may not – it just sits there eating pesos.

2. You neighbor may have tapped into your system. This is unlikely in a new house, but it does happen in older houses.

3. Your meter may be out of calibration.

A good electrician can find and fix numbers 1 and 2. After those possibilities have been eliminated, you can ask CFE to test your meter. I am personally aware to two cases where CFE tested meters. One was OK, the other was seriously out of calibration.

If you feel your bill is too low, and you live in an older house that you did not build:

1. Part of your house may to tied to your neighbor’s meter.

2. There may an illegal shunt across your meter that causes the meter to read only a small part of the actual power usage.

3. Your meter may be out of calibration.

A good electrician can find and fix numbers 1 and 2. You should be aware that having a shunt on the meter is a crime. If you get caught, there will be a very hefty fine. It doesn’t matter that the shunt came with the house, and you knew nothing about it. CFE says that about 40% of the power generated in Mexico is stolen, much of it by shunted meters.

Rolly Pirate

(This post was edited by Rolly on Jun 18, 2006, 5:40 AM)

counselr10

Jun 18, 2006, 6:03 AM

Post #20 of 49 (3797 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Rolly] Some reasons why...

Can't Post | Private Reply

Very good discussion and I have learned a lot too. Thank you all.
I am wondering if my meter has been tapped into. I am averaging about 16 kw hrs a day.
I checked what I use. Turned off the celing fans, use tv for 4 hours a day. Computer isd on about 8 hours a day, oscillating fan on all night and window fan on most of the day.
Wash clothes once a week with no dryer. All applainces are gas. No pool, one pump. sMinimal lights on at night. A coffee maker used once a day for 15 minutes and electric keyboard used daily a few hours. That is about it.
That does not seem 16 kw a day which will equal 960 for two months. when I do get my next bill.
Do I need to call the electric company to look at the meter and check if someone else is tapping off of it? Or is this the same kw hours most of you are using in this same situation. That was a good suggestion to check the KW's

Thank you
How great is our God
Under His protection

Bloviator

Jun 18, 2006, 6:16 AM

Post #21 of 49 (3792 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Rolly] Some reasons why...

Can't Post | Private Reply

The other day I went into a local Ajijic restaurant and the owner was sitting in the dark looking sort of sad.

Evidently, the previous tenant/owner(?) of the building had installed some sort of device that reduced the amount of electricity shown to be going through the meter. The electric company had just found it out - more than a year after he had taken possession - and shut down his power. He had taken care of the problem and was waiting for the power to be restored.

Rolly

Jun 18, 2006, 6:49 AM

Post #22 of 49 (3781 views)

Shortcut

Re: [counselr10] Some reasons why...

Can't Post | Private Reply

"Do I need to call the electric company to look at the meter and check if someone else is tapping off of it? "

You need to call an electrician. CFE has no responsibility beyond the meter. Maybe you could ask CFE to remove your meter for a day to see if your neighbor screams that his power is gone.

A simple test you can do yourself is to turn off everything and unplug things like clocks, TVs and anything else that has an LED that stays on all the time. With absolutely everything off and disconnected, observe your meter to see if the wheel continues to move. If it moves, something is drawing power -- a low-grade short or your neighbor. It is best to do this test in the evening when your neighbor is using lights, etc. That test will tell you if you need to call an electrician to find and fix the problem.

Rolly Pirate

arbon

Jun 18, 2006, 8:27 AM

Post #23 of 49 (3760 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Rolly] Some reasons why...

Can't Post |

Rolly, "A simple test you can do yourself is to turn off everything"

¿Does that mean new or rewired houses don't have a main switch in the breaker box?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rolly

Jun 18, 2006, 8:55 AM

Post #24 of 49 (3747 views)

Shortcut

Re: [arbon] Some reasons why...

Can't Post | Private Reply

For this test you do not want to turn off the main breakers, or any breakers or the service switch because the purpose of this test is to check the wiring of the house for low-grade shorts and hidden connections to the neighbor.

Rolly Pirate

Marlene

Jun 18, 2006, 11:42 AM

Post #25 of 49 (3704 views)

Shortcut

Re: [esperanza] electric bill

Can't Post | Private Reply

Different areas of Mexico appear to be have different kwh tier allowances. In looking at Esperanza's rates, I realize our allowed kwh in Mazatlan are different (less hours allowed than Guadalajara) in regular season, though they seem based on the same rate category. I have seen bills from other homes here in Mazatlan where the midrange (76-175 kwh) rate has been 0.717 in the same time period as our bill. I suspect this is because they used less over a longer period. Not sure.

Our basic allowance on last bill, April, 2006, was
75 0.603
Mid range is then 100 0.995
High Useage is any KWH's over this at 2.101

Here is what a recent summer reduction starting with the May bill looks like in Mazatlan with reduced rates and increased kwh useage allowed. As long as you can stay close to the 2nd level allowance it is cheaper than in winter. After 600 kwh, the highest and non-reduced rate kicks in and this is where it begins to get painful.

175 kwh at 0.525
425 kwh at 0.788
Balance at 2.108

For anyone that thinks their bill is too high for what they are using, I would do what Rolly suggests and conduct a self-test by unplugging everything and looking at the meter. It is VERY common here for something or someone else to be helping themselves to electricity. In an apartment building, the hallway lights might be on your meter. We've seen that. With houses built so close together there are sometimes little surprises with electricity.

The CFE themselves will come around doing tests to make sure we aren't bypassing meters, with the air conditioners especially. Our neighborhood got spot checked last year, and they have this whole quiz they put us through before warning to shut down the computer so they could cut the meter and conduct the test.

1 2 View All