New Electric Bill Arrived: And The Total Is....

[TomAtAlki]

Every apartment building basement has a designated area for electricity and gas meters that are labeled by apartment number with easy access by the company's meter readers. Water usage isn't metered yet, but AySA already has that in the plans soon.

There is an easy way to guarantee your usage stays at zero when you're gone for an extended stay. Flip the main electrical switch in your apartment. Locate the power box inside the wall and move the main switch to the opposite position. That way no power is used in your absence.

Refrigerators really don't like to be shut off and I personally leave a light on and several boat dehumidifier heaters on when we leave for extended periods of time.
Nancy

 

[jantango]

An Argentine friend and his sister still have their mother's apartment near Parque Chacabuco. It's been empty for about seven years. They leave the old refrigerator plugged in and have a maid clean once a week. It seems like a waste of energy and money to me.

Do washing machines feel the same way about being disconnected as refrigerators?

 

[Ceviche]

Refrigerators needs to be left on..for better efficiency and life of the machine.

 

[toongeorges]

Refrigerators needs to be left on..for better efficiency and life of the machine.

??? Only if you like paying for electricity you do not use. The normal recommendation if you leave for more than 4 weeks is to unplug the refrigerator and open its doors (to prevent smells inside).

See https://blog.liebherr.com/appliance...frigerator-or-freezer-for-a-while-what-to-do/ and http://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=17417

 

[Ries]

my mystery is solved- Edenor is so slow to bill that these high bills are actually for the time last summer when I was there, (Feb and March) running the AC. the most recent bill is back down to an ever so reasonable 134 pesos- which is with the fridge running, but nothing else. So I actually owed the money, and no thievery took place. I trust my encargado completely, he is a sweetheart.
I am still kind of amazed at my 134 pesos empty apartment cost for electricity. Here in the USA, a similar bill would be in the $40 a month range, with basically zero usage. Thats 1000 pesos- as in, my power in the USA, with the various baseline charges and taxes, is up to ten times as expensive. In the winter, with electric heat pump running, I can easily get 5000 peso a month electric bills in the US- and they are only that cheap because I am served from the Bonneville BPA system of hydroelectric dams, which are US government run, and sell power at a tiny fraction of what many private utilities in the US charge.

 

[jbeas176]

toongeorges i might have to agree with cerviche regardless of the recommendation. i would turn it down to the lowest settings and let it run. during the great recession i was rehabing buildings that had a/c units that had not run for 2 years plus. they all failed within the first 6 months for different reasons. i think it had to do with the seals, oil, and freon mixture being stagnant for extended periods of time. don’t if 6 months qualifies but i let mine run on a limited basis.

 

[gracielle]

my mystery is solved- Edenor is so slow to bill that these high bills are actually for the time last summer when I was there, (Feb and March) running the AC. the most recent bill is back down to an ever so reasonable 134 pesos- which is with the fridge running, but nothing else. So I actually owed the money, and no thievery took place. I trust my encargado completely, he is a sweetheart.

Glad it worked out well for you. And you are a very fortunate owner to consider your encargado to be trustworthy.

 

[Ries]

Glad it worked out well for you. And you are a very fortunate owner to consider your encargado to be trustworthy.

I live in a building with five units, we all know each other, and with a part time encargado. Its a very small, special place, and I do realize how lucky I am.

 

[gracielle]

I live in a building with five units, we all know each other, and with a part time encargado. Its a very small, special place, and I do realize how lucky I am.

Likewise, I live in a 6-unit building....without an encargado. The cleaning of the common area and sidewalk is done by a janitor.
Extremely low monthly expensas.

 

[steveinbsas]

It's been a while since I posted about my electric bills:

Sept 13, 2018 - Nov 12, 2018 (two months service): $696 pesos. At 36 to one that's $9.67 USD per month.

Nov 12, 2018 - Jan 10, 2019 (two months service): $739 pesos. At 36 to one that's $10.26 USD per month.

PS: My bedroom roof gets direct afternoon sun and in previous years has warmed up considerably during the day. This year the nights have been so cool the bedroom stays cool all day. I have not used the A/C all summer and only used a floor fan at night twice. I actually used a blanket at least a half dozen nights in January and every night in February so far.

Welcome to the grand solar minimum.