CHOPPER

If you go on to the EDP website, which is in English, you can send them a reading of your electricity bill, it works for us as when we first came here it was always an estimate then HOW MUCH at the end of the year. We send them a reading at the start of every month so do not get hit at the end of the year.

steppitoe

That is OK if you pay your bill monthly per usage, it is better for us to have the same bill each month although it will be nice when we have the payment sorted and no big catch up!

gazz

Deffo. i agree, better to have a monthly bill otherwise your estimated one can be , well frankly stupid!

Supremegermalene

Jeepers I'd better start saving, if its €84 for just two (max on weekends ) plus catch up, then for my family with kids and all their extended electrical paraphernalia (sp) mine will be huge! And we will have a pool...

Actually when we were over at Christmas we had to pay for our leccy and it cost €54 for the two weeks we were there. But that was without playstations, pcs and plasma tvs

Gazz how much do you pay for electric?

G

j1mbo

Our electricity bill, calculated by the EDP and paid monthly, went down last year to €62, from €79. The year before that it was +/- €50, but we had to play catch up to the tune of about €200.

We have no pool, but two computers on all day and garden illuminations that rival Blackpool.

My 'rule-of-thumb' calculations were in England, during the summer, budget for £2/day. (We didn't stay during the winter) Here it's €2/day. All year.

I know where I would rather be.

Supremegermalene

Of course preferable to be in PT.

My worry is utilities/food etc are no cheaper than in the UK but we will be relying on PT wages to pay for it all.

Our monthly rent is a bit cheaper so that will help a bit but not if our monthly income drops loads which is very likely.

I have had some good news that child benefit isn't half as bad as I thought it was and we should actually get more than we do in the UK, which covers the cost of creche (if we get in!!) which enables me to work...something I can't do in the UK.

G

TaviraTrog

If your bills are high try going onto the EDP and looking at the tariffs. There's one like the old Economy 7. Here it's called Tarifa bi-horária. It might just suit you sir.

Cleri

I've got that.....still paying 80 a month (pool filter is always on the cheaper leccy at night )

TaviraTrog

Hell's bells - that's a lot of leccy then. I've just had a thought - is your vibrator mains run?

Cleri

Dagenite and jump leads,so it can't be that

TaviraTrog

Is it all the fridges you have to keep your wine cold?

But no it can't be that as you drink red, don't you?

anna58

I pay €92 a month, pool filter on at night, washing machine, dishwasher, tumble drier in rainy season on at night, we have underfloor heating in half the house (a brilliant system from Domus, but that's another thread) gas hob, gas hot water. I forgot, a wood burning stove on 24/7 6 months of the year.

Jon_D

JIMBO,
Have you seen those which are solar powered? Now before anyone chips in and says "Oh but theres no sun at light" , (I'd already worked that one out!)
These store the energy and light up when it gets dark.

Here are some examples.
http://www.thesolarcentre.co.uk/

jdr

Cheap as chips here,12 lights for 25€`s, they have a rechargable battery in them that charges in the daylight and lasts nearly all night.

j1mbo

Hi Jon, Last summer I started the process of converting Blackpool from mains to solar. At the speed I go it'll probably be next year before I complete the migration. The only cautionary tale I can tell is SOME LED lamps are NOT compatible with square-wave inverters!