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I recently rented out my condo again in Tamarindo, shocked to get the electric bill today which is $320 for the last month.
I know Aprils a hot month so lots of air con being used but that seems outrageously high. Is that normal for the area ? Thanks
we are in jaco, our electric is 300+ without using air conditioning. this month ICE raised their rated another ten per cent. I think they have raised the rates every month since the first of the year.
we went to ICE with a spreadsheet showing our usage which is between 800 and 900 kw a month for four years yet our bill has gone from 160 to over 300.
we had blown in insulation put in to see if that would help and led bulbs. got rid of the curly mercury laden chinese bulbs. we should know next month……………its awful.
I have friends that are paying over 400 with families here
[quote=”barbara ann”]we are in jaco, our electric is 300+ without using air conditioning. this month ICE raised their rated another ten per cent. I think they have raised the rates every month since the first of the year. we went to ICE with a spreadsheet showing our usage which is between 800 and 900 kw a month for four years yet our bill has gone from 160 to over 300. we had blown in insulation put in to see if that would help and led bulbs. got rid of the curly mercury laden chinese bulbs. we should know next month……………its awful. I have friends that are paying over 400 with families here[/quote]
Barbara
you need to invest in solar
We love our American electic and electronic devices, don’t we.
I don’t see bills of less than $200 and I live at 2900 ft. We use no A/C but do have a cooler set up in the master bedroom.
There is also the freezer, two refrigerators, computers, and many other electrical devices..
[quote=”waggoner41″]We love our American electic and electronic devices, don’t we.
I don’t see bills of less than $200 and I live at 2900 ft. We use no A/C but do have a cooler set up in the master bedroom.
There is also the freezer, two refrigerators, computers, and many other electrical devices..[/quote]
waggoner
and I bet you use one of the old rotary phones 🙂
[quote=”barbara ann”]cant afford the initial investment of solar. some quotes are as high or higher than the states[/quote]
Barbara
how can you NOT afford the investment
your shelling out $300 a month and you know its going to get worse as time goes on
taking an initial $15000 that can generate 600 to 800 kilowats per month
say $250 per month that is $3000 per year
whats that 20% per year R.O.I.????
in 6 years it pays for itself and continues to bring dividends
your paying now $3600 per year.. that you will never get back in 10 years thats $36000
gone.. out the window.. eaten up by Mr ICE 😀
its a no brainer
now of course you must actually own the property your thinking of doing this on
send me a PM as I have interest in a business here and I can have my guy call you for quote
barbara ann, there’s something wrong with the picture you paint. If you’re using 800 to 900 kwh per month and NOT using air conditioning, something on your side of the meter seems terribly wrong.
For comparison, we have neither heat nor a/c and we consume about half what you use. We never use our ceiling fans. When we leave a room, we turn off the lights, but the iMac and the two iPads are plugged in and running 24/7, we have one large refrigerator, and we use the electric dryer for every load. We bake only rarely, but Marcia uses the electric stovetop every day for lunch.
I wonder if a local electrician might find something amiss in your wiring, or maybe you should catalog all the electricity-using devices (add up the draws) and see what you get.
We have solar water heating. That is probably the simplest and most cost-effective means of offsetting your electricity consumption. It has a backup electrical element for when there isn’t sufficient solar energy.
About three years ago, we invested in a six-panel grid-tied photovoltaic system that produces about 190kwh per month on average year round. By “grid-tied” I mean that we’re connected to ICE’s electricity system.
These panels, which are wired into our main electrical panel, provide electricity when the sun is out. When their output exceeds our demands, it sends electricity back into ICE’s system and our meter runs backward which reduces our bills. When the panels are not producing enough energy but our devices are consuming it, we get the electricity we need from ICE.
The initial installation cost about $8,500 but prices have come down since then and the efficiency of the panels has improved.
A month or so ago, we installed six more panels as an extension of the existing system. Whereas the first six panels are rated at 200 watts, the new ones are 250 watts — a 25% increase in productivity, and they were cheaper.
I’m very confident in the work of the gent who installed our system and I’d be happy to share his contact information. I have no business interest in his company.
ICE has a two-tier rate structure. The the first 200kwh per month are billed at a very low rate. It would not be cost-efficient to try to offset that energy consumption with photovoltaic panels at today’s costs. But above 200kwh, the rate goes way up. That is the energy you would want to offset with a photovoltaic installation.
David
wow! seems you have a nice set up at this point.
so how many kilowat hours are you producing every month average???
I have installed 12 panels and it is also grid tied.
i am going to modify this with a battery back up so the house will be on battery all the time and in the event of power outage everything will stay on.
battery backups I have researched costs close to $3000 by the time you factor shpping and taxes here.. almost 400 pounds.. :oops::oops::oops:
also just recently got into induction cooking stovetop which consumes 70% less energy
every little thing helps 🙂
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]barbara ann, there’s something wrong with the picture you paint. If you’re using 800 to 900 kwh per month and NOT using air conditioning, something on your side of the meter seems terribly wrong.
For comparison, we have neither heat nor a/c and we consume about half what you use. We never use our ceiling fans. When we leave a room, we turn off the lights, but the iMac and the two iPads are plugged in and running 24/7, we have one large refrigerator, and we use the electric dryer for every load. We bake only rarely, but Marcia uses the electric stovetop every day for lunch.
I wonder if a local electrician might find something amiss in your wiring, or maybe you should catalog all the electricity-using devices (add up the draws) and see what you get.
We have solar water heating. That is probably the simplest and most cost-effective means of offsetting your electricity consumption. It has a backup electrical element for when there isn’t sufficient solar energy.
About three years ago, we invested in a six-panel grid-tied photovoltaic system that produces about 190kwh per month on average year round. By “grid-tied” I mean that we’re connected to ICE’s electricity system.
These panels, which are wired into our main electrical panel, provide electricity when the sun is out and when our devices are running. When the output exceeds our demands, it sends electricity back into ICE’s system and our meter runs backward which reduces our bills. When the panels are not producing enough energy but our devices are consuming it, we get the electricity we need from ICE.
The initial installation cost about $8,500 but prices have come down since then and the efficiency of the panels has improved.
A month or so ago, we installed six more panels as an extension of the existing system. Whereas the first six panels are rated at 200 watts, the new ones are 250 watts — a 25% increase in productivity, and they were cheaper.
I’m very confident in the work of the gent who installed our system and I’d be happy to share his contact information. I have no business interest in his company.
[/quote]A few moving after moving to our present residence, our electricity bill was halved by turning off the ceiling fans…
[quote=”davidd”]
waggoner
and I bet you use one of the old rotary phones :)[/quote]
A WHAT???
[img]http://www.telephonearchive.com/phones/assets/we/we-wd-3wide-1890s-de/we-wd-3wide-1890s-de-300.jpg[/img]
[quote=”barbara ann”]cant afford the initial investment of solar. some quotes are as high or higher than the states[/quote]
Yes solar is more expensive than in the U.S. or Germany, where the government is sponsoring the use of alternative energy solutions.
However, in Costa Rica there are companies who finance the equipment. If you have ICE power, you can go for a grid-connected system where you do not have to buy expensive batteries and you can use a regular refrigerator, A/C and electric stove (not possible with batteries).
a hot water heater (on demand)
gas stove
new electric panel box with brand new brackers
one tv and one computer
NO AC (air conditioner)
NO dryer for the clothes
and my bill this month still came to $130.00 (1,200 sq foot home in CR)
last month I paid $125.00 in Tampa Fl with 3,000 sq. foot home with all the electrical products you can bye at Sears, Home Depot, JC Pennys, etc…
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