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jdocop: I have NO idea how the electric rate works in California as we don’t live there.
But this has been a great thread and can be mined for lots of detailed information regarding electric bills and usage. A friend living in San Ramon tells me that they try to dry their clothes as often as possible on their outside line to cut down on the electric bill. Also, it would appear that living where A/C is necessary really drives up the monthly bill. So as we zero in on a final choice of town, this fact will figure heavily in our decision. Terrific input from all! Thanks!
Sue, you just can’t do better, costwise, than to find a setting where you need neither heat nor air conditioning. A number of factors will play into this, of course, but I think altitude is probably the single most important.
We’re at 4,100 feet above sea level. Our two houses have neither heat nor a/c and we rarely use the ceiling fans except to ventilate humidity from the bathrooms.
It’s my understanding that ICE’s rates are, indeed, progressive — the more you use the higher the rate. The killer is that, once you cross the threshold to the next higher rate, it applies to every kilowatt hour you buy beginning with the first one. And the rates are scheduled to increase in January.
David: Your altitude is of great interest. Do you find that your altitude has increased your exposure to humidity/damp as opposed to say neighbors who live at 3200′? I know that in the San Ramon area, a few hundred feet makes an enormous difference in damp/mold issues. Of course, your micro-climate is probably entirely different, but your thoughts would be welcome.
I know that in the Grecia area, houses at 3200′ also rarely need A/C to be comfortable. Since we CAN choose where to live, these factors that really impact monthly budget are a big deal (at least for us)!
Sue, you ask an impossible question, I’m afraid.
When I walk !Heyou! in the morning, down our 500 meter-long road, I experience two or three temperature changes. Don’t know why. So to attribute our experience of humidity to altitude alone would be naive. What’s more, we don’t have a lot of neighbors who live at 3,200 feet to compare experiences with.
Grecia is at about 3,300 feet, I think. It’s too hot for us. If we lived in town, we’d either have fans running, a/c, or sit very quietly during the heat of the day. You may be more heat tolerant. We run into folks all the time who think our little barrio of el Cajon is [i]muy frio[/i] but we’re comfortable here. Your mileage may vary.
The good news is this: Since the temperatures vary little from season to season, whatever you’re experiencing at any given moment is pretty much what you’ll experience at that time of day year ’round. If you have your eye on a piece of property, go there for an hour early in the morning; go for an hour at noon; go for an hour at mid-afternoon; and go for an hour around 8pm. You’ll have a reasonably good sense of what living there will be like.
David: Great strategy….we have been using it for the last two or three “real estate perusal” trips. It also REALLY helps to determine the “noise level” of the property!
I don’t think that we want to have to sit still in front of fans every afternoon! Thanks.
One of the worse noise issues is [i]WIND[/i] 🙄
and of course it isn’t year round, thank goodness. For someone like myself, the [i]WIND[/i] really disturbs my sleep.
Good point is, it dries laundry fast…[i]if[/i] you can get in on the line!Oh man! The wind can just drive you crazy!!! Remember the story about the poor woman in the 1800’s who was found in front of her sod cabin – rocking in her rocking chair and holding a bloody knife??? Turns out she had murdered her entire family and when asked why, said ” I jes couldn’t stand that wind no more”. So there you go…
[quote=”sueandchris”]Also the rate per KWH would be helpful and if the charges based on a tiered system. In California we are on a progressive rate scale, starting at 11 cents a Kwh and graduating up to 45 cents a Kwh. The more you use the higher the rate you pay.[/quote]
I just got my factura for November.
Usage: 802 KWH
Energy charge: 65,475 colones
Public Lighting: 2,485 colones
Taxes: 3,285 colones
Total: 71,515 colones or $125.38
Per KWH: 15.63 cents
Current exchange rate is 570.40I have a house on the beach in Palo Seco….I have an electric water heater, one small ac in master bedroom and one refr.
Electricity bill averages $45/month…
TSGreat information. I am seeking to replace my current home appliances. Can anyone suggest a location to purchase new stainless steel appliances, stove, refrig., microwave; at a reasonable price. Our home is in Playa Hermosa, Guancaste. I have heard about the Galfito duty free location. I have also heard that prices are high in Liberia and San Jose for these items.
Al, prices are indeed very high for any kind of appliances in CR. I also have heard about going to David, or to Golfito. What you would have to consider about going that far to buy things like this is how long would the trip take, how much gas would you have to buy, how many nights would you have to stay in a hotel, and how much can you bring back per trip? I understand that you are allowed only $500/per person/per trip, so I would think that considering all of these things may well make the cost of buying in Panama or Golfito less than attractive, que no?
Our recent experience importing other things via Aerocasillas also reflects that the duty exemption only applies to purchases the total cost of which (the item, shipping, insurance, etc) is under $500. That is, you’re not exempted from paying duty at all if the item costs more than $500US. Then you pay duty from the first dollar.
We’ve never shopped in Golfito. Maybe someone has better information?
Regarding Aerocasillas: We can have our prescriptions mailed to us thru our insurance company. We currently get 90 day supplies and they are very light, i.e. not exceeding one kilogram. Can we continue to have that done thru Aerocasillas and if so, how is duty determined?
What else can be mailed this way and is it the weight that triggers scrutiny or something else? How would they determine duty on mailed items? Thx!
For the past four years, I’ve been getting my meds from a U.S.-based mail-in pharmacy . . . ninety day supplies. They come via Aerocasillas. What I’ve learned is that you don’t want to order a whole bunch at one time. Get one or two per shipment and you’ll be fine. I don’t know whether Customs duty is imposed or not.
Apparently, any package that weighs more than one kilogram will be opened and assessed duty. If you “Pre-Alert” a package, that may draw Customs’ attention, too. If a receipt is included, Customs will base its assessment on that. Otherwise, I think they just guess.
Aerocasillas publishes an online list of things that they won’t transport and things that require special handling. If anything, they seem to interpret their own regulations pretty liberally.
Lately, our drug co-pays have gone up so much that I’ve decided that it’s hardly worthwhile to order meds from the U.S. By the time I pay the co-pay, the Aerocasillas charges, and the Customs duty, I’m not saving enough to bother with. So now I’m just buying locally. The one exception is the glucometer test strips I use and which are not available at all in Costa Rica.
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