Fred James

ICP = Interruptor de Control de Potencia

Fred James

For a holiday home 5.75Kw should be adequate.

Why do you think you need more?

If you upgrade the potencia then it will always require a visit to change the ICP fuse.

If it is an older house then it may require a new survey of the installation and a new "boletin". They may also charge you for upgrading to a new contract.

If the supply you have does not trip out when everything is on under normal usage then just leave it alone.

johnnyone

It is newly reformed (2008)and tripped once last winter (I'm all electric). On what you have said I shall just watch my usage and turn things off when I think I am near the limit and see how it goes.

Thanks for your advice it was very helpful.

EsuriJohn

You can get a "thingy" which you just place round the incoming supply and it transmitts instant readouts of usage to a meter in the casa that way you can see as you turn the kettle, hot air blower and such on then you will now which takes most and what you can slim down usage. In UK they are marketed as green eco meters.

EsuriJohn

Casa, Casita and pool equipment house. They are separated on the phases but I have not yet worked out what with what. Though the loss of supply did indicate the casita was on one phase. That leads me to believe that the other parts are on the other phases.

ForHotspot

I understand that I got a 5.75KW Iberdrola power supply. I just bought a electric oil filled radiator which I only use for about 7 hrs a day. My neighbor told me that my meter box red light is flashing.

It seems like 5.75Kw is not enough. If I apply for a 10 Kw will I have to pay for a higher standing charge even sometimes I don't use that amount? By how much extra will I need to pay? is there a fee to apply for a higher voltage?

Thanks.

Fred James

Your standing charge is based on the contracted potencia so, yes, it will cost more - it's about €2 per kw per month.

They will charge for an upgrade and you will have to ensure that you boletin shows that you can take the higher load.

ForHotspot

Hi Fred,
Where do I get the boletin as I don't see one nor have it? Do you mean that for every Kw I use, I'll be charged 2 euro per mth more for the standing charge?
Thanks.

snikpoh

Only a qualified electrician (generally Spanish) can issue a boletin but he will have to check the entire system first (very similar to how UK now works).

I personally wouldn't worry about it unless the existing ICP (presuming that you have one) trips.

ForHotspot

I don't understand. Fred said that I got to ensure that the boletin can take the higher load. How will I know this?

Fred James

The electricity company will want to see a current "boletin" before they allow an upgrade. In fact you cannot get a supply in the first place without one.

If you haven't got one (or sometimes if it is more than 5 years old), as Snikpoh said, you will have to get an electrician to inspect you installation and issue a new one. The boletin will show the maximum load that the wiring will take.

As for the monthly charge, yes you will be charged €2 for each kw of contracted power.

ForHotspot

What is the maximum voltage allowed without having to pay for this extra monthly charge, ie is it 9.75Kw, below 10?

What is the KW used by a washing machine, & a clothes & hair dryer? I was so surprised to find out that a kettle uses 3KW.

snikpoh

I presume you mean Wattage as the voltage is pretty much the same all over europe at about 230V.

I don't think it's a question of paying extra - you pay for what you are contracted to have. So, if you are contracted for 10kW then you will pay more than if you are contracted for only 3.75kW

Hair dryers are all different but they will use anywhere from 1 - 3 kW, some kettles are only 1kW and washing machines can be 5kW.

The most consumption is used by hobs and some (big) electric radiators. If you have lots of things on, then the ICP can trip.

ForHotspot

I'm confused. I thought if you upgrade to a higher voltage like 10Kw or more, you need to pay the extra monthly charge €2 for each kw of contracted power.

Of course you need to pay for what you used but I thought on top of that you need to pay extra for the standing charge.

EsuriJohn

You are part right. You do pay for what you use based on the total each month of the total kilowatt hours used each month.

The Standing Charge is based on the contracted potencia that you take in Kilowatts.

We have a Potencia of over 13 kilowatts and so our Standing Charge is about €30 a month. In some complicated way this seems also to be linked to the actual usage so that the standing charge is not the same each month it varies by about €2 or €3.

Your existing bills will have all this information laid out but it is not easy to follow.