Beware New Electricity Billing System

[CSE]

It now seems that the Government is thinking about resending the law!
http://mmarsell6.blogia.com/2009/030501 ... -queja.php

[Casa Montana]

Hi all,

Sorted out my bill eventually. For anyone else with Iberdrola you can call them up and speak to them in English if you need to. Tel - 913648888 say operador when you hear the message. Then just ask them if they speak english.

They had highly over estimated my bill so that's why it was so high. Bill has now been reduced from €242 to €114 with the correct reading. Going to call them every month now and give them a reading.

You can email your reading in aswell. You have to register online at www.iberdrola.es Then click on customer and then e-billing and set up an account.

Cheers

Carl
Casa Montana
www.holidaylettings.co.uk/54076
www.casamontanaspain.iwoners.net

[Partridge]

Looks like I didn't get away with it either.
Dec 08 = 49.17
Jan 09 = 19.29
Feb 09 = 89.25

I had 10 day guests over Xmas so am pretty sure that would not be reflected in the Dec or Jan bill but adding Jan & Feb together to get 110 euros !! It's only usually 170 odd euros for a full 2 months height of summer.

It really won't be worth me getting my manager to take readings & send them to me, he will charge for that anyway.

Am I understanding the process correctly though in that this arrangement will mean you might get stung for excess use consumption but if they overestimate one month, it's made ok again when they read the meter bi monthly (apart from not being able to reclaim the excess use tarriff)

[brendan]

The electricity companies have been told to refund any monies they charged because of the new way of calculating the electricity bills. So if you were charged for excess use on a ´lectura real´ (real reading) bill having been undercharged on the previous estimated reading - you WILL be refunded. Each household has a certain ´potencia´contracted if you go over this then you´re fined.

[LaLuz]

I've had the occasional charge for 'excess consumption' usually in peak season when the house is fully occupied, the swimming pool filter is on all day and all the ceiling fans are probably working flat out.

It's never amounted to more than 3€ so not something I worry over or could even be bothered to reclaim even for the principle.

[CSE]

The electricity companies have been told to refund any monies they charged because of the new way of calculating the electricity bills. So if you were charged for excess use on a ´lectura real´ (real reading) bill having been undercharged on the previous estimated reading - you WILL be refunded. Each household has a certain ´potencia´contracted if you go over this then you´re fined.

That is only in Andalusia.
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/pu ... 0478.shtml

[Partridge]

Ok, that explains that any excess consumption charges will have to be refunded but unless you can give them a meter reading for the 'estimated' month then how can they possibly refund anyone for units charged at the new tarriff that should have been charged at the old ?

Also, the article doesn't explain what will happen in the future, are Endesa a)going back to billing bi-monthly b) are they going to read the meter monthly c) will they 'meter read' bi monthly but divide the use by 2

If they are to remain on monthly billing but bi-monthly readings then unless you are in situ to read your own meter then how are we protected from getting hit with excess consumption charges.
This is all so confusing.

[pepsipuss]

I imagine that the only way they can do it is to bill monthly but only impose the excess charge every other month, when they actually do a reading, and charge it only if you exceed double the monthly allowance. I have yet to go and make a claim - I haven't read anywhere that it says it will be done automatically.

[fincafern]

We had a phone call from Endesa yesterday regarding a refund. Our bills are horrendous made worse by this new system.
Fortunately our daughter was able to speak to them about the bills because although we can speak on a conversation level in Spanish, when it gets to potencias and kilowatts, we get lost.
If this is the way they are going to conduct refunds, I feel sorry for those absentees or unable to speak fluently.
We will have a discount on our next bill according to them.
Seems a big mess to me. It stinks.
What were they going to gain by having an actual and estimated every month except extra money for their coffers ?
The meter reader calls once every two months here and I usually get a "real" reading anyway so the exercise wasn't going to save any man hours for reading meters.
I am always charged for excess so I had an understanding of what would happen when they started all this. I knew that bills which were not normally in excess would now become so. That is the gain.

[CSE]

Also, the article doesn't explain what will happen in the future, are Endesa a)going back to billing bi-monthly b) are they going to read the meter monthly c) will they 'meter read' bi monthly but divide the use by 2

If they are to remain on monthly billing but bi-monthly readings then unless you are in situ to read your own meter then how are we protected from getting hit with excess consumption charges.
This is all so confusing.

As we posted before the Government are looking recinding this law.

Most meters are accessible from outside the building so in threoy the reading can be taken on a monthly basis. However as far as we understand the companies will still only read your meter every other month as in the past.
We have been fortunate in that our company has not yet overcharged us, but we intend on keeping an eye on the readings especially when it comes to bill time.

[Partridge]

Goodness me, I have been charged the excess before and never even noticed.

Sept 07 - 1204 Kw used, excess charged on 49 Kw = 64 cents
July 08 - 1087 Kw used, excess charged on 42 Kw = 1.15 euros
Sept 08 1104 Kw used, excess charged on 54 Kw = 1.48 euros

Those figures are weird as it looks like they charge you on 50% approx of the excess ? apart from Sept 07 which should have been more, maybe they reduced the allowable from 550 to 500 Kw a month or something.

Certainly doesn't look like it will affect me too much, will just have to wait and see, my last 3 direct debits seem higher than previous comparables but until I can see the bills when I go out I won't know why.

[pepsipuss]

Good news
Just received my latest bill from Sevillana-Endesa, with a circular informing us that they are going to re-calculate everyone's bills and properly allocate the units used over the periods between real readings so that the consumption falls equally. If on revision the amount that has been paid is in excess of what it should have been they will credit against the next bill.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!

I have scanned the doc and if anyone would like a copy as they won't get one because they don't get paper bills or they get sent to Spain and they are in UK or whatever, just send me a pm with your email address.

[Partridge]

Good news, thanks for sharing