If
you buy a property in Spain from a competent company or agency,
when it comes to arranging contracts with the various utility
companies, you will find that the majority of work will have been
done for you and everything is ready for you to simply move into
your new home. In the event that you wish to do this yourself,
the following applies. Immediately after buying a property, you
must sign a contract with the local electricity company. To do
this you will have to visit the appropriate office to register
and pay the appropriate fee. You will need your passport for identification
and someone to talk to as you are likely to be queuing for several
hours. If you are buying a resale property you must ensure that
all of the previous accounts have been paid and the meter has
been read. If you don't, you will end up paying the bills for
the previous owners, or sitting in the dark. A point to remember
is that unpaid electricity bills cannot be attached or charged
to your property nor can bills from other utility companies. However,
whether you ran them up or someone else did, if they remain unpaid
you will soon lose your service and have much anguish ahead of
you as you battle with Spanish bureaucracy.
The
cost of an electricity connection, which should also include the
price of the meter, is usually in the region of 90 - 220 euros.
This varies according to location and the type of supply required.
If you are inland and the mains have to be run 1 or 2 km the price
could be enormous or even prohibitive. It is not really practical
to think in terms of running pylons for miles in order that your
recently acquired finca can have light at night. As with buying
any inland property, believe nothing and check everything you
are told by property company employees or Estate Agents. Many
an inland property purchased several years ago is still in the
dark despite definite assurances given at the time regarding the
supply of electricity.
Note:
If you buy a condominium or other type of community property,
the price of connection to all utility services is included in
the cost of the property by law. You still pay it - but in a different
way.
Although
nowhere near as bad as it was a few short years ago, Spain still
suffers from power cuts. Particularly when it rains or there are
strong winds. For this reason, all properties built by us are equipped with emergency or secondary lighting. Power can fail for a fraction of a second, which
is enough to crash, or re-boot a computer, or for an hour or more.
Sometimes, much more. Many of the power cuts experienced in Spain
are not the responsibility of the generating companies but those
of the owners. Electricity is supplied on the basis of a sliding
standing charge which is determined by the power made available
to you and which in theory you should be able to draw at any time.
For instance, if you own an apartment, you will find that a power
supply of 3.5 kw is adequate. A large villa may require 7.5 kw,
the supply of which costs more than a smaller supply. With this
in mind, many upon arrival in Spain simply ask for a small supply
because its cheaper. As soon as they attempt to draw more power
than they have contracted for, their power supply fails. Many
struggle on for months or longer before they realise what the
problem is. Pay for what you need, in the long run it makes for
a much easier life.
In
relation to the robust UK three pin plug complete with onboard
fuses, plugs in Spain are an exercise in faith and character
building. It is quite common for rooms, even kitchens, to only
have one power point. For this reason adapter plugs and extension
cables are available from numerous types of shops. Spanish plugs
come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The smaller two pin plugs
are not earthed. These are for running items such as table lamps
and other low wattage devices. Where an item is not earthed
it should be double insulated. Many times this is not the case
and the risk from electric shock is very real. It is quite common
to touch something and feel a standing voltage on it - a feeling
best described as a buzzing. Earthing sorts this out. You may
well find that plug sockets have been installed at strange angles,
requiring the plugs to be operated on their sides. However,
regardless of how strange you find the system or if you are
an electrician, how dangerous, the fact is you take it, warts
and all or you leave it.
Not at all
uncommon on some of the older properties is to find they have
been wired with wiring of whatever colour was available at the
time. One house seen by the writer had been all wired with black
cable. Whilst this would not cause more than annoyance to a
competent electrician, it could prove dangerous to someone attempting
the replacement of a simple circuit breaker. Today, electrical
installations should comply with EU legislation although there are
still some which must be perilously close to that which is not acceptable.
Modern
houses in Spain are equipped with earth leakage trips which ensure
that in the event of a fault, you will be protected. If you don't
have this protection ensure that you do not connect metal lamps
to non-earthed plugs. Computers are also better earthed, both
as a protection to the equipment and to yourself. On the subject
of computers, lap tops with their own batteries or computers with
uninterruptible power supplies are by far the best method of using
a computer in Spain. Spikes through the mains, can constantly
reboot your machine, making its use impossible for a time. This
may cause your machine to lose information or even suffer damage.
Protecting the power supply will obviate these risks.
In
many cases, there will be no need to replace UK plugs on your
appliances as a superb range of adapter plugs exist in Spain which
are both functional and safe. They are also quite cheap at just
over £1 per plug.
Light
bulbs in Spain are ES ( Edison Screw) and the bayonet type fitting
used in the UK will be of no use to you. Remember this if you
intend to bring lamps and lighting with you. Whilst many do, they
have to import their light bulbs or rely on others to bring them
out from the UK. Energy
saving lighting is becoming extremely popular in Spain. Initially
expensive to buy, 11 watts of consumed power produces about 60
watts of lighting which soon repays the extra cost of the light.
This said, recently the writer came across a supply of energy
saving light bulbs which were only about £1.25p each.
One
thing worth mentioning is the relatively low prices of uninterruptible
power supplies. A ups can ensure that a computer continue to function
following a power failure for whatever reason and further, can
easily run a 60 watt table lamp which stops you being plunged
into darkness.
Electricity
is billed every two months following your meter having been read.
However, it is totally legal for the electricity companies to
estimate your power usage every second period. You should always
read your own meter in order to avoid being overcharged. That
is if you can get at it. Many are now locked away in steel boxes
in an attempt to prevent people from stealing electricity or trying
to turn their meters back. If
you compare your Spanish electricity bill with what you paid in
the UK, don't forget that your Spanish bill is bi-monthly, your
UK account is quarterly. As with all Spanish utilities there are
two basic methods of payment: Direct debit and through the nose.
Finally on the subject of electricity, we have spoken of power cuts, indicating that they are far from rare. The majority of cuts last only seconds - those that last longer usually being attributed to either inclement weather or massive demand for air conditioning on very hot days. When they do occur they are not the problem they are in the UK and life continues quite normally. On average you can expect four or five power cuts over a year with one of them being longer than ten minutes.
Gas
Unlike
countries of northern Europe, in Spain, mains gas exists only
in major cities. If you are moving to a major city in Spain and
mains gas is available, you simply make application to the appropriate
utility company for a supply. If mains gas is not available the
only alternative available to you is bottled gas. Don't worry
about the cost, in Spain, bottled gas if about half the price
of mains gas in northern Europe. Further, supplies are plentiful
and regular. Notwithstanding, during 2005 prices increased considerably
and today a bottle of gas is around €10. In fact, when it
comes to the cost of heating water, there is little difference
between the cost of gas or electricity. It does however pay to
keep alternative energy supplies and something to bear in mind
is the fact that an immersion heater will eat into your limited
available power. UNless that is you have solar panels for water heating when the cost of heating hot water is reduced by about 75 per cent over the course of one year.
Obviously,
with gas you need to keep an eye on your usage
and ensure that you always have bottles in reserve. Failure to
do so may result in you having to take a cold shower or do the washing up in cold water until supplies have been replenished. Laundry will be unaffected because Spanish washing machines always heat water from cold and even then use a relatively cold wash.
If you use gas it's well
worth the money having an automatic manifold installed. These simple devices detect
when one bottle of gas has run out and switch immediately to another.
This means that you don't have to constantly check your gas bottles
so as to be able to change them over without the boiler pilot
light going out. Further, the manifold indicates which bottle
is being used so you know which one requires
changing. Without an automatic manifold, expect the water to run
cold every now and again - usually, whilst you are under the shower.
Up
until recently, heating water and cooking by bottled gas was far cheaper than electricity. For this reason,
many people ran as many gas appliances as possible in order to
reduce their consumption of electricity. Today, there seems little
different in price but it is still good policy to split your energy
usage in case of problem with one or the other. When it comes
to cooking, most people opt for a four ring gas hob and an electric
oven. With no dependency upon either gas or electricity, a hot
meal is always going to be possible.
If you cook by gas, using the above combination, a 12.5 kg container
of gas will last somewhere between 3 and 6 months. If you use a gas hot water heater, a family of four will
use between one and two bottles per month. In the summer months,
gas can last 2 or 3 times as long due to the raised temperature
in the water main. All SPC properties now come complete with solar
heated water as a routine. In the summer the water is heated almost
to boiling and even in a cold winter, a 10 or 20 degree lift on water
is possible. Put simply this means that you are saving a significant
amount of money. How this is not mandatory under law, as in countries
like Cyprus, is quite puzzling.
Gas
is supplied by two companies, Repsol and Cepsa. You will need
a contract with either if you are to be supplied with gas and
currently, the price which is fixed by government, is 12 Euros
plus a few cents per bottle. Price fluctuates constantly and can
go down but it seems a long time since this has happened and with
oil prices as they are, it seems unlikely that this will ever
happen. Be careful when you apply
for a contract. For insurance purposes it will be necessary for
the supplier to visit your premises in order to ascertain that
the equipment you intend to use is safe. There is no charge for
this inspection, being a requirement under law as well as a requirement
of the insurance companies.
Notwithstanding
this, It is quite common for employees of either of the gas companies
to submit an account and ask for money either for the inspection
or as premium for a non-existent insurance. €30 is common.
Don't pay it. There may be a charge in some parts of Spain for
the initial visit to check that everything is OK but should this
be the case it will be made clear prior to the visit and well
supported with the appropriate official documentation. Further,
an official receipt will be issued which can be verified. Despite
these regular attempts at fraud, no one seems to be brought to
task and the same employees wend their way around the new customers.
Repsol
supply butane in bright red steel containers which are extremely
heavy. Your first bottle will cost 28 Euros which consists of
a 18 Euros deposit and a charge for the gas of just over 10 euros.
Thereafter, you simply swap an empty container for a full one
and pay the going rate. Bear in mind that you always need one
bottle as a spare for each gas appliance. Repsol have regular
gas deliveries which in many places are every other working day.
Cepsa,
also one of Spain's petrol companies, supply butane but they supply
it in lightweight stainless steel containers. Their terms of business
are identical to Repsol but in addition to regular deliveries,
Cepsa also sell butane on the forecourts of their own garages,
ensuring that you really never need run out. Recently, they have
also started to make it available through hardware shops and supermarkets.
We
mentioned above the situation regarding bogus demands for money
relating to services and or insurances premiums. In fact, this
scam is spreading and it is not at all uncommon now for bogus
butane representatives to call unannounced to inspect gas appliances.
They usually carry some form of identification, which may or may
not be genuine. Their modus operandi is to inspect gas appliances and condemn
pipes and regulators as not being safe. For an extortionate fee
they will replace them. Gas pipes are bright orange and have the
date of expiry written every few centimetres in black, bold print.
You
can obtain replacements at most hardware stores and some of the
bigger department stores. The same goes for regulators. If you
are visited by these people, smile and politely decline their
services. When replacing pipes or regulators, check very carefully
that there are no gas leaks. You can do this by mixing a weak
solution of washing up liquid and water then pouring it on to
the points where the pipes attach to the regulator and appliance
and checking for bubbles. In actual fact, it's worth doing this
once a year and recording the fact in a little cheap book you
purchased for the purpose. Any claim on insurance for gas fires
or explosion will be assisted greatly by such foresight. Don´t
forge the book, aged writing is easily detectable. From time to time the gas companies must, by law satisfy themselves that the gas installation is safe. They will contact you asking for a day to visit. Don't confuse this genuine visit with one of the scams mentioned above.
If
the idea of dragging bottles of gas around does not appeal, you
could consider the installation of a bulk propane tank. This would
entail filling once a year but frankly, the cost of the installation
does not justify the slight amount of work involved in changing bottles. Bulk propane tanks also
take up space in your garden and are quite unsightly. However,
it may be possible to obtain the tank and installation free of
charge providing you sign a long term contract. Something to bear
in mind about the bulk delivery system is that unlike gas delivered
in bottles, there is no government limit on what can be charged
so you may find that your free installation was not quite as free
as you thought it would be. On the subject of bulk gas tanks, many people are able to disguise their appearance by covering them with climbing flowers.
Providing
you have enough bottles to have a healthy reserve
there is no problem with changing them as and when required.
If you have gas central heating, bottles are still used but three
times larger and instead of butane, propane, which burns hotter
is used. A little construction at the end of the drive to house
these bottles is required and the deliverymen change the bottles
for you. Heating systems usually have all the bottles attached
to a gas manifold which indicates when one bank has become exhausted
so you can re-order.
When
you first apply for a gas contract for which there will be a fee,
you will need to decide how many bottles that you require. As mentioned, you
will have to pay a deposit of €18 per bottle. If you ever
decide to return your bottles you will only receive €5 for
them. It's not worth asking why - nobody knows or has ever been
able to find out. For this reason, most people sell their bottles
to other users at a more realistic price. Only in Spain could
there be a black market in empty gas bottles!
Many
people in smaller properties use the Calor gas or cabinet type heater. These
are usually catalytic types and burn very cleanly but they do
still give off fumes and must be used in well
ventilated rooms. Failure to observe this requirement is
the cause of one or two deaths each winter. You need a window or two open.
You can obtain carbon monoxide detectors for a few euros and they
are well worth having if you intend to use this type of heater.
Water
The
rain in Spain does not fall mainly in the plain, but mainly in
the Northwest and centre of Spain with shortfall along most of
the coasts, Balearic and Canary islands. Spain has more than enough
rainfall to meet its requirements, including those of agriculture
but what it has, isn't very well distributed. A
Spanish song dealing with this point is entitled "It doesn't
know how to rain"!
In
the Canaries, most water is provided by desalination plants. On
the Costa del Sol, a desalination plant has been installed but
has yet to be used. The Costa Blanca with its near perfect climate
has yet to suffer from any form of permanent water shortages but
with the ever increasing demand for this coast by foreigners,
this may not always be the case.
Those
who visited Spain during the early 70's will no doubt recall the
notices in hotels and apartments urging them not to waste water.
In those days it was quite common for holidaymaker's to be covered
with soap and the water supply to fail. Today, this type of situation
is not common, although there are still areas such as Almeria,
where competition for water from crops is quite stiff. Crop irrigation,
much of which is wasteful, accounts for around 80 per cent of
all fresh water used. On the Costa del Sol, purification plants
recycle waste water from urban areas for crop irrigation and for
watering golf courses.
In
many areas frequented by tourists, water shortages are particularly
bad during the peak summer season when the population may increase
five to ten fold. The situation is made even worse by the fact
that this is the driest time of the year with the heaviest demand
for water.
Halfway
through the 90's, the reservoirs in both southern and eastern
Spain were virtually depleted. Water rationing was introduced
and in some areas, the water table fell so low as to allow sea
water to penetrate and pollute many of the wells in use.
The
situation came to an end during the winter of 95/96 when months
of torrential rain caused widespread flooding throughout Spain
but by 1999, drought had returned to many areas. In 2005 drought
returned again and as the year changed to 2006 it soon became
apparent that the water supply would fail if things did not change.
However, much to the credit of the water companies, they kept
all balls in the air with the minimum of inconvenience to the
majority of consumers. Some areas did dry up though. Drought in
Spain is cyclical and increasingly the Spanish authorities are
beginning to turn to desalination plants as a permanent solution
to water shortages. These are expensive to build and operate and
the price of water is being driven up reflecting this fact.
Amusingly, water in Spain is still much cheaper than the UK which
spends most of its time waterlogged!
If
you intend to purchase property in Spain do not assume that water
is either connected to it or available. In many cases it won't
be and worse, never will. To live in such areas will require tanker
loads of water delivered regularly and dealing with the problems of storing
this amount of water and keeping it clean.
As
mentioned, wastage due to poor irrigation methods consumes most
water but much of what's left is lost through leaking pipes. There
seems to be a reluctance on behalf of the Spanish authorities
to encourage conservation, particularly in the resort areas. No
doubt there is a reluctance to inconvenience or discourage the
60,000,000 people who visit Spain each year. Resort and coastal
areas generally fare quite well in the water stakes for obvious
reasons and together with their climate, make them sought after
among those looking for property.
The
Costa del Sol uses double the national average per person for
its numerous swimming pools, lawns, gardens and golf courses and
people in its various towns consume more water per person per
day than any other Europeans. At the same time, hundreds of rural
towns and villages have water on tap for just a few hours a day
during the summer months and many farmers face bankruptcy due
to the lack of water for their crops.
Again,
be careful where you purchase property and do not take the word
of anyone who may be selling it. You need both water and electricity and if its not on site there is a reason for it. Few estate agents
will lose a sale because of a mere "technicality"! Most
will tell you exactly what you want to hear. You need the situation in writing from the utility companies not guff from an estate agent.
Even
if you are careful in regard to the water situation, if you don't
know what you are buying and the restrictions which may apply
to the area you hope to buy in then you could well end up restricted to 3 cubic metres of water per month. This
is equivalent to about 10 baths or 15 - 20 showers. An average
family would require about 120. As for the swimming pool you were
so keen to have.
If
you find an area or location in which you wish to live, check
the reliability of the water supply over the previous five or
more years. Ask anyone who you think may have information. This
includes neighbours, tradesmen, Gestors, lawyers etc. In most
towns, water supplies are adequate but there may be cuts of varying
length during some of the summer months.
If
you intend to buy an inland property, such as a finca or other
type of remote building, there are many things you need to check.
Is water available? From where? Does it last all year round? If
not are there alternative supplies? These and the answers to many
other questions you must have before you commit yourself to buying
a property. Without an adequate supply of water you have absolutely
nothing. If you intend to build your own house ensure that you
have your water supply assured in writing before you spend a single
penny.
The
cost of water has risen dramatically in Spain in recent years
and in some areas, water bills have increased by as much as 350
per cent. During 2002, the authorities gave notice that water
charges were to rise by 10 per cent per annum over the next 10
years in order to be able to provide the facilities required by
ever increasing amounts of users. Whether or not this amount will
prove adequate remains to be seen.
Water
charges vary from an average of around 72 cents per cubic metre
on the mainland to between €1.90 - 3.00 per cubic metre in
the Canaries and some parts of the Balearics, where it is delivered
by truck. If water is supplied from a desalination plant, the
cost will be high and whilst drinkable and safe, the taste may
be quite unpleasant.
Spanish
water from the mains is safe to drink in all areas although the
quality may be poor in some. On the Costa Blanca, water is clean
and pure but from time to time the taste may leave something to
be desired. In fact, it can leave a lot to be desired. If you
do not like the taste the answer is simple - bottled water, of
which there are over 3,000 million litres consumed each year in
Spain. Silly as it may seem, prices vary enormously for bottled
water according to the brand but in the opinion of the writer
there is absolutely no difference at all in taste or quality.
Moral: cheaper is best! An even better solution may be to purchase
a simple water filter.
There
are several on the market but the most popular seems to be "Brita".
This is a two litre jug, which when water is poured in the top,
filters through to the bottom. Not only does the filter remove
unpleasant tastes from the water but it also removes hardness.
Instruction advise you to change the filter once per month at
a cost of 4 euros but they will last far longer. You can tell
quite easily when the filter needs replacing simply by keeping
an eye on your kettle element. At the first sign of calcium, change
your filter. Vinegar will clean the kettle element quickly which
is now ready to act as your indicator once again.
As
you shop around, you may well see demonstrations or advertisements
for "plumbed in water filters". These are quite expensive
to buy and the replacement cartridges are also expensive. Apart
from a little convenience, there seems little point in spending
the money, which can be better used to purchase alcohol, which
in Spain is very cheap and if drunk to excess will make your water
filter last even longer. . . . . !!! As a footnote to this subject,
you can safely use the water from a Brita filter in steam irons
or car batteries although the latter tend to be sealed these days.
Not
all inland properties have water problems but if the number was
only 1 in 100, if you are the one, life will be miserable. This
is not why you want to come to Spain. Check, check and check again
in regard to the situation with water as it applies to any property
be it new or old if it is inland. And again. . . . .if the salesmen
says there is no problem, perhaps this is simply a case of "well
he would say that wouldn't he"
Newly built properties will obviously have neither water or electricity problems. Planning will have required that both utilities be available.
