Hi, I’m based in Alhaurín El Grande (Málaga) and work with Endesa, their sub-contractors and the majority of my customers and suppliers here in Alhaurín and Coín. I also have customers in Cártama, Pizarra, Guaro, Monda, Tolox, Alozaina and Álora. I only work inland and have travelled as far north as Ardales and El Chorro but I do not work on the coast.

If you live outside my area and have any questions regarding your electricity supply or contract, I can provide consultancy via email, liaising with Endesa on your behalf if necessary.

Please BOOKMARK this page and visit again as I regularly update the information on here. You can also find me on Facebook, here Electrician – Alhaurin el Grande, please ‘like’ my page to receive notifications of future updates to this website.

For a brief ‘potted history’ of your ‘Shockingly Good‘ electrician, just click About Jeff.

Contact me via email (email address above), or telephone +(34) 659 862 691 if you require assistance or need a quote for works. I hope you find the information posted here useful.

Last post added 31 October 2011

I have just uploaded the latest electricity prices from Endesa Energía SAU the ‘Free Market’ provider, applicable from 1st October 2011. These charges apply to all single-phase and 3-phase domestic consumers, who have already contracted or are currently considering re-contracting within the deregulated electricity market (check discounts available). The latest information can be found here: Endesa ‘Free Market’ Electricity Tariffs.

IMPORTANT: It is very important to understand which company you are contracted with, as penalty charges are now being applied to certain tariffs/contracts. Check the very small print on your last bill from Endesa. There are now two independant billing companies within the Endesa group of companies, they are:

Endesa Energía XXI SL – this company took control of billing from the old supply company Sevillana Endesa after deregulation on 1st July 2009. All tariffs from this provider are regulated by the government, the ‘Producto’ code on your bill will read TUR (’Tarifa de Último Recurso’).

Endesa Energía SAU – the new ‘free market’ billing company, setup 1st July 2009. Originally only interested in supplying consumers contracted at 10KW or more, they are now offering discounts to consumers contracted at 3KW or more.

Click here to read how this may affect you! (more…)

You may have read in recent press that Endesa, and all other electricity suppliers in Spain, are in the process of changing all electricity meters to new digital “Smart” meters by the end of 2018. All thanks to another European directive!

Working alongside Endesa and their sub-contractors as I do, I have known for some time that the new Smart meters are being pilot tested in Málaga and Marbella, however Endesa are now installing Smart meters on ALL new (or upgraded) single-phase supplies in Alhaurín el Grande, Coín and surrounding area.

The Smart meters use ‘telemetry’ technology to send data on electricity consumption back to the supplier via the electricity supply network. The data is collected at the local substation and sent from there via the internet to the billing company. Once you have a Smart Meter installed, Endesa (Cobra) will no longer go out to read your meter. The main advantage to you, the consumer, is no more estimated readings every other month!

What people do not seem to be aware of, is that these new meters also incorporate the functionality of the Interruptor de Control de Potencia (ICP). Once your Smart meter is installed, if you exceed your ‘potencia contratada’ (i.e. energy rating of your contract in Kilowatts) the supply will be disconnected at the meter. The supply can only be reconnected by following a simple procedure at the main fuse box.

No problem then?

Click here to find out (more…)

Summer in Spain and temperatures are rising! And too get you even hotter under the collar, the price of electricity in Spain went up again on 1st July 2011.

The new conditions to the ‘TUR’ tariff (Tarifa de Último Recurso) as controlled by the Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio were published in an Official State Bulletin dated 30th June 2011.

The ’standing’ charge itemised on your bill as ‘Potenia’ and billed per day is currently set at 1,719427€/KW/month, which calculates to 0,056529€/KW/day.

The unit charges in €/KWh have increased as shown below, this is itemised on your bill as ‘Consumo’ or ‘Fact. consumo lecturas reales’:

‘Tarifa DH’ (Discriminación Horaria) is the Off-Peak tariff

This price increase will affect everyone on the TUR tariff, regardless of your contracted electricity provider.

If you have recontracted within the new ‘free market’ then please contact your supplier to find out if this price increase affects you.

Read on to see just how much more you are paying for your electricity compared to 5 and 10 years ago! You may be amazed, you may be angered!! (more…)

Firstly may I wish you all a Happy Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

If you are not already aware the cost of electricity went up again in Spain, just as we entered in 2011!

The new conditions to the ‘TUR’ tariff (Tarifa de Último Recurso) as controlled by the Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio were published in an Official State Bulletin dated 29th December 2010.

The ’standing’ or monthly charge has not been increased, this is itemised on your bill as ‘Potenia’.

The unit charges in €/KWh have increased as shown below, this is itemised on your bill as ‘Consumo’ or ‘Fact. consumo lecturas reales’:

‘Discriminación Horaria’ is the Off-Peak tariff

This price increase will affect everyone on the TUR tariff, regardless of your contracted electricity provider. If you have recontracted within the new ‘free market’ then please contact your supplier to find out if this price increase affects you. Not all ‘free market’ providers will pass on this Government announced price increase, so it may be a Happier New Year for you!

4th January 2011

The legal obligation on behalf of the Electricity Providers in Spain to instal ‘current limiters’ (or ICP – Interruptor de Control de Potencia) is causing concern for many consumers.

Endesa (and all other electricity providers) are currently writing to all consumers for whom they have no record of an ICP ever being fitted. Failure to repsond to the initial letter (recorded delivery!) results in a second letter giving 20 days to respond before penalties are applied! See my earlier post Letter from Endesa Re: ICP for more information.

For many consumers, especially those who were very badly advised at time of property purchase to simply ‘inherit’ the electricity contract from the previous owner’s grandfather(!?), these people now require major works to upgrade their electricity supply.

Q. Why you ask?

Read on to find out …

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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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