Hi, I’m based in Alhaurín El Grande (Málaga) and work with Endesa, their rebranded distribution company Edistribución, their sub-contractors and the majority of my customers and suppliers in Alhaurín El Grande and Coín.

I have previously worked in neighbouring towns, and do my best to serve existing customers in these areas, however I am not looking to widen my ‘catchment’ area inland. I do not work on the coast.

I specialise in domestic installations, rewires and supply upgrades. I do not work on industrial or commercial premises, nor do I repair domestic appliances.

Text in orange is a clickable link to another post on this website or an external reference. Click the Home tab at the top of any page on this website to return to this Welcome Page.

Check out my photographs of recent projects, click Photo Gallery here or at the top of the page.

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

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

Site last updated 3rd June 2023

All electricity supply companies in Spain should have completed the substitution programme of all old analogue electricity meters for new digital Smart meters (for domestic consumers with less than 15 kilowatts contracted). Government deadline for completion of substitution program was end of 2018.

Smart meters are remotely programmed/controlled by your supplier and have an integrated Power Control Switch (PCS). The PCS will restrict the power available to that which you have contracted.

The power available in your property (check your ‘potencia contratada’ on a recent electricity bill) was previously restricted by the ‘Interruptor de Control de Potencia’ (ICP), a circuit breaker fitted into a dedicated sealed compartment in your fuse box. However in many installations these ICPs were either never fitted or illegally removed/bypassed, therefore allowing the consumer to draw more power than that contracted with their supply company.

If you lose power and all your circuit breakers remain on, check your Smart meter. If the display reads “ICP 00 PULSE” then press the yellow button to rearm the meter and restore power.

ADVICE: Take extreme care when opening your meter box to minimise risk of electric shock. Do not touch any exposed live parts, e.g. terminals and fuse holders!!

Alternatively to rearm your meter in case of interruption, follow the advice as stipulated by Edistibución:

• switch OFF your Main Breaker
• wait 3-4 seconds
• switch ON your Main Breaker.

This will reconnect power to your property. Resetting your meter by pressing the yellow button or switching your Main Breaker OFF/ON will not give you any more power than you have contracted.

ADVICE: the last appliance plugged in or switched on may have exceeded the power available and caused the PCS to disconnect your supply. Before attempting to rearm your Smart meter, unplug the last appliance connected or switch off the appliance you were using when you lost power.

If you experience frequent interruptions to your electricity supply due to insufficient power (check the ‘potencia contratada’ on your electricity bill) you may need to speak with your supplier in order to upgrade your potencia.

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Summer Time starts officially at 1:00 AM on Sunday 28th March 2021.

This will affect all consumers with an Off-Peak (‘Discriminación Horaria’) contract, for ALL electricity providers, both dual-tariffs and 3-tier tariffs.

Off-Peak tariffs for ALL electricity providers in Spain have 10 hours per day charged at the Peak Rate and 14 hours per day charged at the Cheap Rate. Three-tier tariffs have the additional benefit of 6 hours charged at a further reduced rate.

Dual-tariff: cheap rate off-peak hours (‘valle’) will be 11:00 PM until 1:00 PM (23:00-13:00). Peak rate hours (‘punta’) will be 1:00 PM until 11:00 PM (13:00-23:00)

3-Tier-Tariff: cheapest rate hours (‘supervalle’) will be 1:00 AM until 7:00 AM (01:00-07:00), the cheap rate hours (‘valle’) will be 11:00 PM until 1:00 AM and 7:00 AM until 1:00 PM (23:00-01:00 & 07:00-13:00). Peak rate hours (‘punta’) will be 1:00 PM until 11:00 PM (13:00-23:00)

If you are unsure whether the time changes will affect you, check a recent electricity bill, or your contract, the off-peak tariff code (‘Peaje de acceso’) depends on the power contracted (‘potencia contratada’):

Consumers with power upto 10 Kilowatts the tariff code is 2.0DHA (dual-tariff) or 2.0DHS (3-tier tariff)

Consumers with power between 10-15 Kilowatts the tariff code is 2.1DHA (dual-tariff) or 2.1DHS (3-tier tariff)

Consumers with power above 15 Kilowatts the tariff code is 3.0A (3-tier tariff)

If you need assistance changing tariff or upgrading your ‘potencia contratada’ (contracted power in Kilowatts) please contact me, details below or on my Home page. If required I can audit your electrical installation, perform load tests and advise you on the most suitable tariff and power required.

I work with Endesa subcontractors in my ‘catchment’ area, should any major works or ‘proyecto’ be required to upgrade the network infrastructure to provide a new supply connection point.

Contact me via email (address at top of page) or telephone +(34) 659 862 691.

24 March 2021

Winter Time starts officially at 2:00 AM on Sunday 25th October 2020.

This will affect all consumers with an Off-Peak (‘Discriminación Horaria’) or Discounted tariffs, for ALL electricity providers, both dual-tariffs and 3-tier tariffs.

Off-Peak tariffs for ALL electricity providers in Spain have 10 hours per day charged at the Peak Rate and 14 hours per day charged at the Cheap Rate. Three-tier tariffs have the additional benefit of 6 hours charged at a further reduced rate.

Discounted Endesa Tariffs include “Tempo Happy” and “Siempre Ganas”

Dual-tariff: cheap rate off-peak hours (‘valle’) will be 10:00 PM until 12:00 PM (22:00-12:00). Peak rate hours (‘punta’) will be 12:00 PM until 10:00 PM (12:00-22:00)

3-Tier-Tariff: cheapest rate hours (‘supervalle’) will be 12:00 AM until 6:00 AM (00:00-06:00), the cheap rate hours (‘valle’) will be 10:00 PM until 12:00 AM and 6:00 AM until 12:00 PM (22:00-00:00 & 06:00-12:00). Peak rate hours (‘punta’) will be 12:00 PM until 10:00 PM (12:00-22:00)

If you are unsure whether the time changes will affect you, check a recent electricity bill, or your contract, the off-peak tariff code (‘Peaje de acceso’) depends on the power contracted (‘potencia contratada’):

Consumers with power upto 10 Kilowatts the tariff code is 2.0DHA (dual-tariff) or 2.0DHS (3-tier tariff)

Consumers with power between 10-15 Kilowatts the tariff code is 2.1DHA (dual-tariff) or 2.1DHS (3-tier tariff)

Consumers with power above 15 Kilowatts the tariff code is 3.0A (3-tier tariff)

If you need assistance changing tariff or upgrading your ‘potencia contratada’ (contracted power in Kilowatts) please contact me, details on my Home page.

17 October 2020

For the statiticians amongst you I have produced a series of graphs, representing the increase in the cost of the Government Regulated electricity tariff over the last twelve years, from July 2003 to January 2016. I have produced three graphs; the Daily Cost of electricity, the Cost Breakdown per day (itemising the Fixed Charge ‘Potencia’, the Unit Charge ‘Consumo’, Electricity Tax, Meter Rental Fee and VAT ‘IVA’) and the Percentage Breakdown of Daily Cost (itemised as above).

The data used to create these graphs, using an Excel spreadsheet I developed, is based on data obtained from 99 electricity bills for a single-phase electricity supply; 22 bills for the period 18 July 2003 to 22 January 2007, and 77 bills for the period 22 January 2009 to 20 January 2016. Unfortunately bills for the period 23 January 2007 to 21 January 2009 were not available, hence the gap in the graphs!

Click here to see a range of graphs for differnt scenarios (more…)

Way way back in August 2010 I posted a Warning to 3-Phase Consumers  concerning the ‘potencia’ they have contracted and the inevitable problems they will encounter when Endesa, or other electricity provider, requests the installation of an ‘Interruptor de Control de Potencia’ (ICP) on their supply.

With the passing of time, things have moved on significantly, and so I am reposting my warning to all 3-Phase consumers! The function of the ‘current limiter’, the ICP, is now integrated within the new ‘intelligent’ Smart Meters being ‘rolled out’ throughout Spain. The installation of Smart Meters has been ongoing for several years and the Government plan is to complete the roll-out before 31 December 2018.

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I receive numerous telephone calls, almost on a daily basis, from concerned consumers who feel they are paying too much for their electricity. Join the club! The days of cheap electricity in Spain are over!

In July 2009 the electricty supply market was deregulated, i.e. ‘opened up’ to free competition from a number of new ‘Free Market’ electricity suppliers. Since then, the electricity providers have seen a drop in income, due to consumers installing new energy efficient appliances and changing to ‘low energy’ and LED lighting.

Over more recent years, you will have noticed your ‘Fixed Charge’ (facturación por potencia contratada) has increased significantly, compared to the ‘Unit Charge’ (facturación por energía consumida).

The Fixed Charge is based on the ‘potencia contratada’ (power available), in Kilowatts. This charge will be fairly consistent from bill to bill, differing only by the exact number of days in the billing period.  The power available was previously restricted by the ‘Interruptor de Control de Potencia’ (ICP) installed in your fuse box, but is now restricted by an integrated limiter in the new ‘intelligent’ Smart Meter (if fitted).

The Unit Charge is based on the electricity you use, in Kilowatt Hours. This charge may vary considerably from bill to bill, depending on your electricity consumption. You are more likely to use more electricity in winter for heating, hot water, cooking etc.

The amount you pay for your electricity depends on your tariff and potencia contracted. Consumers contracted with Endesa will find the following graphic useful in explaining the various billing methods, depending on whether you are contarcted with the regulated company Endesa Energía XXI or the free market company Endesa Energía SAU. The billing method also depends on whether a Smart Meter is fitted and whether or not it is integrated within the ‘telemetry’ network (sistema de telegestion).

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Use this Endesa guide to check if the energy rating (potencia contratada) of your single-phase domestic electricity contract is adequate to support the range of electrical appliances in your home.

Using the matrix below check which appliances you have and read along the row to determine the minimum energy rating in Kilowatts (kW’s) you require in your home. I recommend you check the energy ratings of your individual appliances before deciding on a suitable potencia to contract.

the column ‘Contracts prior 2005’ refers to old Sevillana or Endesa contracts setup when the nominal supply voltage in Spain was set at 220 Volts

the column ‘Contracts after 2005’ refers to new Endesa contracts setup since the nominal supply voltage in Europe was set at 230 Volts

The small difference in energy ratings between old and new contracts is due to the small change in nominal supply voltage. The column on the far right shows the rating of the ‘current limiter’ integrated within the Smart Meter (if fitted), or the rating of the ‘ICP‘ installed in the fusebox (if fitted).

Note: Key for heating / aircon: – 1 or 2 units max., – complete home system

Click here Endesa Guide to determine Potencia Required for Single-Phase Contract to see the guide in full-screen, then use your ‘Back’ button on your browser to return here.

The energy ratings above are minimum recommendations and apply to single-phase domestic contracts only! Selecting the minimum energy rating may not facilitate simultaneous running of all appliances listed. To guarantee adequate power consider which appliances will be running at the same time and plan to upgrade to the next level if necessary.

Consumers with 3-phase electricity supplies please see my post entitled Determining Potencia for 3-Phase Installations, to be published in the near future!

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I have uploaded the latest electricity tariffs from Endesa Energía SAU the ‘Free Market’ provider, applicable for all new contracts signed before 31st December 2015. Some discounts on the Fixed Charge and/or Unit Charge are available.

These charges and conditions will apply to any new domestic contracts, single-phase and 3-phase, including ‘potencia’ upgrades for existing ‘Free Market’ consumers, and for new contracts for consumers changing electricity supplier from Endesa Energía XXI (or other provider) to Endesa Energia SAU.

If you are contracted on the ‘PVPC’ Tariff (Precio Voluntario para el Pequeño Consumidor) with the Government regulated supplier ‘Endesa Energia XXI’ you may want to consider moving to the free market, Endesa Energía SAU,  to take advantage of the fixed price tariffs and discounts available.

Click here Endesa ‘Free Market’ Electricity Tariffs – December 2015 to see the tariffs in full-screen, then use your ‘Back’ button on your browser to return here.

If you need assistance changing tariff or re-contracting within the ‘free market’ please contact me, details below or on my Home page. If required I can audit your electrical installation, perform load tests and advise you on the most suitable tariff and ‘potencia’ (power) in Kilowatts.

I work with Endesa subcontractors in my ‘catchment’ area, should any major works or ‘proyecto’ be required to upgrade the network infrastructure to provide a new supply connection point.

Contact me via email (address at top of page) or telephone +(34) 659 862 691.

26 October 2015

These are the latest electricity tariffs from Endesa Energía SAU the ‘Free Market’ provider, applicable for all new contracts signed before 31st October 2014. Some discounts on the Fixed Charge and/or Unit Charge are available.

These charges and conditions will apply to any new domestic contracts, single-phase and 3-phase, including ‘potencia’ upgrades for existing ‘Free Market’ consumers, and for new contracts for consumers changing electricity supplier from Endesa Energía XXI (or other provider) to Endesa Energia SAU.

If you are contracted on the ‘PVPC’ Tariff (Precio Voluntario para el Pequeño Consumidor) with the Government regulated supplier ‘Endesa Energia XXI’ you may want to consider moving to the free market, Endesa Energía SAU, to take advantage of the fixed price tariffs and discounts available.

Click here to see (more…)

New European regulations require the introduction of SMART Meters to “encourage consumers to play an active role in the electricity market and thus improve energy efficiency”! To comply with the relevant Spanish regulations, Real Descreto 1110/2007, Endesa Distribución inaugurated its SMART Grid Operations Centre in October 2010 and between 2011 and 2018 will be replacing an estimated 13 million electricity meters in Spain, for consumers with ‘potencia contratada’ (contracted power) of 15 kW or less.

SMART Meters monitor and control electricity consumption and facilitate other ‘operations’ remotely thanks to the SMART Grid, a state-of-the-art communications system developed jointly by Endesa and Enel who together boast the largest number of SMART Meters installed on a countrywide basis, estimated to be in excess of 38 million.

I originally posted an article on SMART Meters in October 2011 when I first learnt that pilot trials began in Spain that year, with SMART Meters installed in Málaga. Today I know Endesa are in the process of notifying consumers and replacing electricity meters locally in Alhaurín el Grande, Coín, Cártama and Álora, and no doubt everywhere in Spain, for residential consumers and commercial customers contracted at 15KW or less. Be warned, there are implications, see my advice below in reponse to some recent customer enquiries!

The new “SMART” Electricity Meters are replacing traditional electro-mechanical electricity meters, two models: Single-Phase (1x 230 Volts) shown on the left and 3-Phase (3x 230/400 Volts) on the right, not to scale

Read on for more information on the SMART Grid, watch the video and read my answers to some important and frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) (more…)