If you need an Electrician in Alhaurín El Grande, Coín, Guaro, Monda, Tolox, Alozaina, Ardales, El Chorro, Álora, Pizarra, Cártama or surrounding area, please email me (see email address above), or call me on +(34) 659 862 691.

Please BOOKMARK this page and visit again as I regularly update the information on here. You can also join me on Facebook, find me here Electrician – Alhaurin el Grande.

For a brief ‘potted history’ of your ‘Shockingly Good‘ electrician, just click About Jeff, here or at the top of this page.

I hope you find the information posted here useful.

This information applies to anyone in Spain with electricity contracts rated at 10KW or more (single phase and 3-phase), who have NOT changed supplier within the new ‘free market’. Check your latest bill to confirm your ‘potencia contratada’, if this applies to you, please read on …

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In the past week I have received 3 calls from people who have problems with 3-phase supplies. These people had received their letter from Endesa, telling them to have their ICP fitted (see previous article Letter from Endesa re ICP). Having duly had their ICPs fitted, these callers are not at all delighted when they discover that they can’t run their washing machine and electric hob at the same time (or other appliances!). In fact one of them is now unable to boil a kettle! In this article I will try to explain why.

Those of you who are considering installing or upgrading to 3-phase may also find this article of use.

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Have you received one of these letters from Endesa? They are sent recorded delivery to the contract holder at the normal billing address of the property. If for some reason you DO NOT receive electricity bills but money is deducted monthly from your account, then you may not receive this letter – be warned Endesa Distribución may take action regardless!

click image above to view full letter

In essence the letter is telling you that under a new law passed 1st July 2009, Endesa (and all other ‘free market’ electricity suppliers) are now legally obliged to ensure the ‘Interruptor de Control de Potencia’ (ICP) is installed for all consumers.

The letter identifies 2 of the 3 possible options:

1 – rent the ICP from Endesa, from 6 cents a month
2 – ask your ‘shockingly good‘ electrician to install the ICP

Or 3, the unwritten option, is DO NOTHING! Ignore this letter and the follow-up letter that will arrive 2 to 3 months later and do nothing during your 20 day response period. In this event, Endesa will not install an ICP, but will modify your billing account and charge you for the MAXIMUM energy rating possible on your supply, which could be 20KW! The monthly standing charge for a 20KW contract is currently 46,74€ per month plus electricity tax at 4,864% plus IVA at 16%!! Then you pay nearly 15 cents per KWh consumed, plus both taxes, of course!

Read on to see my replies to some very recent and ‘frequently asked questions’:
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I have been bitten by the bug, the bug that is Facebook. Sign up if you are not already ‘hooked’ and become a fan of my page Electrician – Alhaurin el Grande. You will then receive automatic notification when I post more ‘shockingly good‘  hints, tips and general advice on Spainish electrics!!

21 March 2010

Do you suffer power cuts on a regular basis, and wonder why your neighbours still have electricity?  Well, before contacting your supply company or your ’shockingly good’ electrician here are a few tips and tricks that might help. First of all, acquaint yourself with your fuse box, before your next power cut! … you may be glad you did!  Do you recognise any of these circuit breakers?

Hopefully you identified most of them!  But what do they all do? And what can you do if any of these breakers trip (i.e. switch OFF). Read on to find out!

The next time you lose power in your home, go to the fuse box, with torch if necessary and follow these tips and tricks!

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While out and about, trying my best to provide a ’shockingly good’ service,  I ‘m always asked the same questions by my customers. Many of their problems are caused by trying to use more appliances than their supply contract will support.  To help understand just what your contract will allow you to use, I have created a  Guide to Determine Energy Rating of Electricity Contracts. Use this, and the replies to my ‘frequently asked questions’ below, to determine whether or not you may need to upgrade your contract.

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I have uploaded the latest electricity prices from Endesa, applicable from 1st January 2010. These rates apply to all single-phase and 3-phase consumers. The information can be found here: Endesa Domestic Electricity Tariffs. These charges will not be applied to January’s bills as the billing period includes days charged at the old rate.

25 January 2010

Endesa Energia want to offer you solutions to reduce the cost of your electric bills, with their new tariffs, offering a fixed price guaranteed until June 30, 2010. If you contract before October 31, 2009 you will receive an 8% discount on your electricity consumption up to June 30, 2010.

The three new offerings from Endesa Energia are:

Tariff “Ahora” (3.02) – for homes with contracted power (‘potencia contratada’) of 15KW.

Tariff “Decide” (3.01) – for homes with contracted power (‘potencia contratada’) of between 10 to 15KW.

Tariff “Decide BIHORARIA” (3.01DH) – for homes with contracted power (‘potencia contratada’) of between 10 to 15KW with Off-Peak meter (previously referred to as ‘Tarifa Nocturna’).

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Electricity providers in Spain have been contacting consumers informing them of new legislation which came into force on 1st July 2009, following the deregulation of the electricity supply market, a process which started in November 1997. As happened in the UK, it opens up the market to other companies in allowing them to buy power from the major electricity companies and sell it on to consumers. More than 4.4 million Andalusian consumers can now contract the supply of electricity with one of ten companies (’comercializadoras’), see list below.
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