# Electricity price shock



## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

I've just received my August electricity bill from Iberdrola and was shocked to find that it is €100 more than I expected due to a new charge that has suddenly appeared: "Tope precio de gas €106,06." I have checked back on previous bills and this has never appeared before. As I don't have a gas supply from Iberdrola, or any other company for that matter, I am assuming this must be an error. Anybody else had this?


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

It is charged per kwh of electricity consumed, so the more electricity someone uses, the higher the amount of this new charge they will pay. It should only be charged to consumers who signed a new free market contract, or renewed one, after 26 April 2022. Tt is to compensate the energy companies for the difference between the cap the Government has imposed on gas used to generate electricity, and what the energy companies have to pay in the wholesale market.

https://www.elespanol.com/eldigitalcast ... 68_12.html

The worst thing about it is that the tope del gas charge is variable according to the wholesale market prices, so people who thought they had signed up for a fixed rate contract now have no idea how much they are going to be paying from one month to the next. So the Government's claim to have lowered electricity bills by this new mechanism is no more than a con trick, as they are making consumers pay for it. More and more people are going to be dragged into paying it each month, as their existing contracts become due for renewal.

There are an increasing number of articles in the Spanish press about this.

El 'beneficioso' tope al gas del Gobierno sube en 30€ de media la factura de la luz (lainformacion.com)

El tope de gas: el Gobierno introduce un nuevo concepto en la factura de la luz que dispara todavía más su precio - Libre Mercado

Plus, of course, the Government is collecting 5% IVA on this new charge so clawing back a lot of the 5% reduction applied on what the bills would otherwise have been. Good trick, no?


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Lynn R said:


> It is charged per kwh of electricity consumed, so the more electricity someone uses, the higher the amount of this new charge they will pay. It should only be charged to consumers who signed a new free market contract, or renewed one, after 26 April 2022. Tt is to compensate the energy companies for the difference between the cap the Government has imposed on gas used to generate electricity, and what the energy companies have to pay in the wholesale market.
> 
> https://www.elespanol.com/eldigitalcast ... 68_12.html
> 
> ...


Thank you Lynn for the explanation and links. This really is a gigantic con!


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## number9 (Dec 4, 2021)

Mine has also increased despite not having moved to a new tariff. I'm waiting for a call from Iberdrola, might be that every customer will pay this? My bill would have been Eur 120 but the new cost is Eur 204


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

number9 said:


> Mine has also increased despite not having moved to a new tariff. I'm waiting for a call from Iberdrola, might be that every customer will pay this? My bill would have been Eur 120 but the new cost is Eur 204


You don't necessarily have to have moved to a new tariff. If your contract auto-renews each year, as a lot do (even if the price per kwh you pay stays the same) then you would still have to start paying it.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Lynn R said:


> You don't necessarily have to have moved to a new tariff. If your contract auto-renews each year, as a lot do (even if the price per kwh you pay stays the same) then you would still have to start paying it.


Absolutely right! Iberdrola have told me that my contract auto-renewed in July last year, therefore making me liable for the new tax from that date. I have replied, pointing out that I didn't move into my apartment until September last year, when I signed the contract, but Iberdrola say that I inherited the contract from the previous owner, whose auto-renew date was July.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

The Skipper said:


> Absolutely right! Iberdrola have told me that my contract auto-renewed in July last year, therefore making me liable for the new tax from that date. I have replied, pointing out that I didn't move into my apartment until September last year, when I signed the contract, but Iberdrola say that I inherited the contract from the previous owner, whose auto-renew date was July.


According to all the articles published, I would have thought that the charge should only apply to you if your contract auto-renewed in July of THIS year, not last year? But difficult to argue with Iberdrola, I suppose.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

number9 said:


> Mine has also increased despite not having moved to a new tariff. I'm waiting for a call from Iberdrola, might be that every customer will pay this? My bill would have been Eur 120 but the new cost is Eur 204


According to the Iberdrola web site, my estimated bill for August was €165, which is around what it would have been without the surprise new tax of €106.06, giving me a €274 bill. Iberdrola point out that the web site only gives an estimate, not a real amount, which of course I understand. But the estimates have always been pretty accurate in the past (unless daily usage changed dramatically towards the end of the month) and therefore I argue that I should have been able to rely upon it as a general guide. Surely, I have pointed out, the new tax should have been reflected in the estimate? I am awaiting their reply.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Lynn R said:


> According to all the articles published, I would have thought that the charge should only apply to you if your contract auto-renewed in July of THIS year, not last year? But difficult to argue with Iberdrola, I suppose.


I am in discussion with them but they seem to have an answer for everything!


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

The Skipper said:


> According to the Iberdrola web site, my estimated bill for August was €165, which is around what it would have been without the surprise new tax of €106.06, giving me a €274 bill. Iberdrola point out that the web site only gives an estimate, not a real amount, which of course I understand. But the estimates have always been pretty accurate in the past (unless daily usage changed dramatically towards the end of the month) and therefore I argue that I should have been able to rely upon it as a general guide. Surely, I have pointed out, the new tax should have been reflected in the estimate? I am awaiting their reply.


There is a complete lack of transparency around this new charge. Even if people are looking at changing to a new tariff, this is all prospective customers can read about it on Iberdrola's website (in very small print underneath the quoted prices:-

"Estos precios no incluyen el coste del mecanismo de ajuste de costes de producción (Real Decreto-ley 10/2022). Este concepto regulado se verá reflejado como un concepto de facturación adicional, "Tope precio del gas", en la sección de "Cargos normativos". Se calculará multiplicado el consumo facturado por el coste horario del mecanismo publicado diariamente por OMIE, según el perfil inicial vigente de REE correspondiente a la tarifa de acceso del suministro. Este cargo normativo no aplica a Baleares, Canarias, Ceuta y Melilla"

So if the tope del gas costs are based on a formula which changes daily, how on earth can consumers have any idea how much they will have to pay in any given month?

If wholesale gas prices increase dramatically this winter, as they may well do depending on what Putin does, then the tope del gas charge will shoot up as well.


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## number9 (Dec 4, 2021)

I suppose at least in the winter we can burn wood. Welcome to the new dark age  That said I'm pretty glad the west hasn't given into Russia's demands or sanctioned it's invasion of Ukraine.


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## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

This is what I received on 11th August together with my bill


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

I have this today with my bill for Aug/Sept.










My plan was a five year one, with 8 hours at a lower price.
Not sure if you can escape some of the new charge but we are also on the 100% green tariff.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

number9 said:


> I suppose at least in the winter we can burn wood. Welcome to the new dark age  That said I'm pretty glad the west hasn't given into Russia's demands or sanctioned it's invasion of Ukraine.


Not an option when you live in a town centre apartment! I'm beginning to wish I hadn't sold my country house which was entirely heated by two log-burning stoves, with much of the wood supplied from my own land! I was, however, getting too old for life in a remote mountain hideaway!


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Relyat said:


> This is what I received on 11th August together with my bill
> View attachment 102187





Relyat said:


> This is what I received on 11th August together with my bill
> View attachment 102187


That's very interesting: Could I please ask you what you are charged per KWh? My charges vary from 0,010106 €/KWh to 0,19344 €/KWh varying between the three different charging periods of the day.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Barriej said:


> I have this today with my bill for Aug/Sept.
> 
> View attachment 102188
> 
> ...


As I say in reply to Relyat, very interesting. Could you also please tell me your €/KWh charge.


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## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

The Skipper said:


> That's very interesting: Could I please ask you what you are charged per KWh? My charges vary from 0,010106 €/KWh to 0,19344 €/KWh varying between the three different charging periods of the day.


Does this help? 

ENERGY
Capacity invoiced Peak 4,6 kW x 32 days x 0,089896 /kW day 13,23 €
Off-peak 4,6 kW x 32 days x 0,003978 /kW day 0,59 €
Total power amounts to 07/08/2022 13,82 €
Energy invoiced Non-promotional periods 202,38 kWh x 0,199247 /kWh 40,32 €
Promotional periods 196,62 kWh x 0,082256 /kWh 16,17 €
Total energy amounts to 07/08/2022 56,49 €


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

The Skipper said:


> As I say in reply to Relyat, very interesting. Could you also please tell me your €/KWh charge.


There you go.










Looks like me n Relyat have the same sort of contract...


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Barriej said:


> There you go.
> 
> View attachment 102190
> 
> ...


Thanks for that! The different rates charged are mind-boggling but I'm obviously going to have to pay more attention to the various plans that are available. I was speaking last night to some Dutch friends who told me how lucky I am to be paying "so little" in extra electricity charges. They said the monthly electricity bill at their Amsterdam home had tripled!


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## tmarshall57 (Jan 17, 2017)

I think the key element is the end date of your existing contract. This date is included in the "Additional Information" section of your bill. My contract expires on 28-10-2022.

My Iberdrola contract has a footnote which states: _"The new charge established by the Government to finance gas will not apply to you as long as you are with Iberdrola and maintain your current prices plan, until its termination, renewal or extension"._

So I anticipate increased charges post October.


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## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

I should be OK until 2025 then! 
I can't imagine how much of a shock it will be then.


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## DonMarco (Nov 20, 2016)

As a slight derail, may I ask if anybode has been able to establish the difference between the 3 time bands when it comes to electricity consumed? My Energia xxi monthly bill only shows the transport costs for each band but the cunsumed electricity is simply lumped together. I know the tarrifs vary on a daily basis but it would still be good to know if its worth the hassle of starting the dishwasher after midnight. Or maybe its impossible to tell as the offpeak tarrif might be higher than the peak tarrif from the following day.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Relyat said:


> This is what I received on 11th August together with my bill
> View attachment 102187


However, I had exactly the same email (but in Spanish) from Iberdrola on 23 August - attached to it was a bill from mid July to mid August which included the tope del gas charge. So I take it their assurances relate only to the unit cost of electricity per kwh, and do not mean that customers who have either changed to a new tariff or had their existing contracts renewed will not pay the tope del gas.

The unit price I pay is supposedly fixed for 5 years but the contract itself will auto renew each year unless I choose to change it.

My use of electricity is quite moderate (the latest bill was for 166 kwh consumed and amounted to €68.38 in total. The cost of the electricity used was €26.10 and the tope del gas charge amounted to €21.38.


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## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

Nothing for the Tope on my bills for July and August. I'll await the September bill, but I read it as it won't be applied to me.


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## londoner111 (4 mo ago)

By the way, with Naturgy, I'm on a 3 years contract called "Por uso". I called a few days ago to ask what the 12 months duration that appears on the online contracts area, And they said:

Your contract duration is a 3 years one BUT, every 12 months gets renewed with the same terms, but any change in government laws, the new charges will get applied, like for example the "tope of gas".

So, I should be fine until March next year. She also told me that the "tope of gas" is supposed to run until April next year. But who knows if it's going to be extended.

Coming back to the contract I signed, after the 36 months bit, it says "Asimismo, podrán trasladarse al precio cualquier concepto regulado, tasa o impuesto de nueva creación o que sustituyan a los actuales que sean de aplicación durante el periodo de duración del presente contrato". I understand they can apply at any point any government change in tax.

And to understand why they are going to apply the tope of gas after 12 months, I also found this on the contract:

"En Gas: Mantiene el precio del kWh de la energía contratada estable durante 12 meses, y otorga un descuento cada año sobre el término variable, compatible con otras ofertas y promociones. Válida para tarifas RL.1, RL.2, RL.3 y RLPS.1, RLPS.2, RLPS.3."

I've no gas contracted, but I'm guessing they are taking advantage of this clause, because the government is charging us for the use of gas to produce electricity...

Nevertheless, if this tope of gas still exists after April, I will probably make a formal complain (I'll find out where), as I don't want to be charged for this...

One latest thing. If this tope of gas wasn't being applied, our electricity bills will much MUCH MUCH higher than they are even with the tope of gas. It's not an invention of the government. Before the tope of gas, it didn't matter how much it was the real cost of generating electricity, the price applied was the higher of all different types of generation, on this case, GAS. This is not the case anymore, but the gas still costs a lot of money, and you can't just tell the companies, if you buy gas for 600 to generate electricity, you will charge your clients 200. That difference from 200 to 600, is what is spread on everybody's bills (Aside of the lucky ones we have contracts not updating soon). But electricity generated by any other source is much much cheaper than before.

My GUESS is that, companies that generates a lot of electricity with more GAS, will apply a higher tope of gas to their clients. No idea about individual contracts, if for example, you are supposed to be on a 100% renovable tariff.

Don't trust to some newspapers, as they twist the truth a lot. And some just like to lie!I recommend going directly to the real numbers, and the laws.


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Relyat said:


> Nothing for the Tope on my bills for July and August. I'll await the September bill, but I read it as it won't be applied to me.


Ive just had our September bill and no added for the gas. 
Although my electric contract is for 100% green so I would not have expected to see the charge anyway.
The bill states the same as the one I posted before, saying because of my contract I wont be billed for this.

Only advice I can give to anyone who if thinking of a contract change, go green. 
Look for a plan that gives 100% renewable generated electric and that way there should be no reason to charge you the gas tax as it were.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Barriej said:


> Ive just had our September bill and no added for the gas.
> Although my electric contract is for 100% green so I would not have expected to see the charge anyway.
> The bill states the same as the one I posted before, saying because of my contract I wont be billed for this.
> 
> ...


Take a look at Page 2 of your invoice under the heading "Informacion adicional." About five lines down there is a heading "Fecha final del contrato." It is after that date that you will be hit with the "Tope precio del gas." I hope for your sake that I am wrong!


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## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

See post 21 also


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

On my latest bill (for mid August to mid September) the tope del gas charge has now exceeded the cost of the electricity consumption (tope del gas cost just over €33, electricity consumption cost just over €29 . The cost per kwh of the tope del gas increased by 40% from the month before.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> On my latest bill (for mid August to mid September) the tope del gas charge has now exceeded the cost of the electricity consumption (tope del gas cost just over €33, electricity consumption cost just over €29 . The cost per kwh of the tope del gas increased by 40% from the month before.


29 euros electricity consumption is very small - wouldn't that be about 90kwh? Is that how much you used to run your apartment in August?.Mine is about the same but I have just a small one bed- no AC and no fans- just hob,fridge, ( no water heater in the summer). I really can't afford to use more as my salary is the same as 2016( the idea of a wage rise in spain is pure fantasy). Still I think the government have reduced the IVA on electricity to 5% until January so hopefully that will help. Its getting really tough now. Just been to market where 1 kilo of juicing oranges is a euro - which was 90 cents two weeks ago. Everyone was talking about the price rises and that's in the market!!


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

kaipa said:


> 29 euros electricity consumption is very small - wouldn't that be about 90kwh? Is that how much you used to run your apartment in August?


I wish! No, that was for 184.15 kwh at €0.158351 per kwh. The tope del gas was charged at €0.175587 per kwh for that month (up from €0.128737 the month before). So in total I paid just over €0.33 per kwh for the electricity used. Next month it could be more, the variability of the tope del gas charge is what I really dislike about it as even though we have a fairly accurate idea of our consumption we now have no idea until the bill arrives what it will cost.

We used a bit more this summer than we usually do, our consumption is normally around 150kwh per month in summer but I think it was more humid this year so we had the aircon on for 3 or 4 hours every evening whereas we have only used it on a handful of very hot days previously.

Last month's bill came to €86.15 in total, it's the highest I can ever remember being charged for a single month and our bills have always been substantially lower in summer before.


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## stevie.whitts (12 mo ago)

The transfer charge can be more expenxive than the consumption cost. I've only just arrived here so not got too many bills to compare. But my 100m² house in Finland with 2 hybrid cars charging daily and a lay-z-spa at 40 degrees daily. Consumptionwas around 75€ a month but transfer fees were 130


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

londoner111 said:


> B
> 
> My GUESS is that, companies that generates a lot of electricity with more GAS, will apply a higher tope of gas to their clients. No idea about individual contracts, if for example, you are supposed to be on a 100% renovable tariff.


The following statement appears on my electricity bills from Iberdrola

"Le informamos que la energia consumida es 100% renovable, certificada con Garantias de Origen emitidas por la CNMC"

So being on a 100% renovable tariff does not exempt customers from being subject to this charge.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> I wish! No, that was for 184.15 kwh at €0.158351 per kwh. The tope del gas was charged at €0.175587 per kwh for that month (up from €0.128737 the month before). So in total I paid just over €0.33 per kwh for the electricity used. Next month it could be more, the variability of the tope del gas charge is what I really dislike about it as even though we have a fairly accurate idea of our consumption we now have no idea until the bill arrives what it will cost.
> 
> We used a bit more this summer than we usually do, our consumption is normally around 150kwh per month in summer but I think it was more humid this year so we had the aircon on for 3 or 4 hours every evening whereas we have only used it on a handful of very hot days previously.
> 
> Last month's bill came to €86.15 in total, it's the highest I can ever remember being charged for a single month and our bills have always been substantially lower in summer before.


Did you not recently change provider to Iberdrola?


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## alpinist (Feb 8, 2009)

Lynn R said:


> So being on a 100% renovable tariff does not exempt customers from being subject to this charge.


Same thing in the UK where customers are noticing and complaining about it too Energy bills: ‘I got a green deal, so why am I paying eye-watering sums?’ | Energy bills | The Guardian

The issue is that all gas/electric is pooled for distribution, so it's like all the fruit at the market arriving from different places in the world and then being sold at one set price, i.e. whatever it costs to produce the most expensive one. I guess the Spanish providers will apply the same thinking when charging this tax.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

kaipa said:


> Did you not recently change provider to Iberdrola?


I did, in May. My contract with my old provider, Naturgy, was due for renewal at the beginning of June - so I would still have had to pay the tope del gas charge even if I had remained with them. They had given me notice that my contract price per kwh would increase to €0.39 from that date and I did not wish to pay that (plus the tope del gas charge on top).


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> I did, in May. My contract with my old provider, Naturgy, was due for renewal at the beginning of June - so I would still have had to pay the tope del gas charge even if I had remained with them. They had given me notice that my contract price per kwh would increase to €0.39 from that date and I did not wish to pay that (plus the tope del gas charge on top).



I changed my tariff in April with Iberdrola to fixed but it is 0.28!. How did you get such a low rate as €0
15? Is there a new tariff?


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

kaipa said:


> I changed my tariff in April with Iberdrola to fixed but it is 0.28!. How did you get such a low rate as €0
> 15? Is there a new tariff?


It is just the Plan Estable tariff, the advertised price is now €0.172980. The prices change frequently. But it is pretty meaningless now, as I said when you take the tope de gas charge into account I actually paid €0.33 per kwh last month, and have no idea what it will be next month.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> It is just the Plan Estable tariff, the advertised price is now €0.172980. The prices change frequently. But it is pretty meaningless now, as I said when you take the tope de gas charge into account I actually paid €0.33 per kwh last month, and have no idea what it will be next month.


Yes Lynn. I just phoned Iberdrola and they explained that I don't pay the Tope de Gas as my contract was before April. The price of the Termino de Energia ( fixed tariff) has since dropped but as you say you now have the Tope de gas which makes those people with contracts that get charged that tax subject to a variable cost that means your fixed tariffs mean nothing. The guy explained that if I changed to the lower rate I would end up paying much more so he suggested I wait until May when the Tope de gas should end and my contract ends at end of march and hopefully new tariffs will be available. It really is getting expensive now and I imagine folk who aren't aware of what's happening because they assume they have a fixed rate will be in for a terrible shock if their contracts renewed after April.


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## xgarb (May 6, 2011)

Just got my bill after the contract auto-renewed...










I was so happy that I got a fixed kWh contract just before the prices went up and now the price for my consumption is double! It's pretty incredible that you can sign a contract with fixed potencia and fixed kWh price and they can just load the bill somewhere else. I guess they will say I'm free to find another contract but now they will all have the tope added.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

I wouldn't complain as 50 euros for 104 kwh is pretty good in the present time. You wont find a cheaper fixed tariff if you change and you will still have theTope. Most people will find that at some point between now and end of may they get hit by the Tope de Gas. Lets hope it finishes then or else we will be in for a real shock!!


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

xgarb said:


> Just got my bill after the contract auto-renewed...
> 
> View attachment 102380
> 
> ...


Yes, exactly. Having a fixed rate contract means nothing since the introduction of the tope de gas charge. I really don't like the fact that now I have no idea how much my bill is going to be from one month to the next because the tope de gas isn't even a fixed amount, it is different every month.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> Yes, exactly. Having a fixed rate contract means nothing since the introduction of the tope de gas charge. I really don't like the fact that now I have no idea how much my bill is going to be from one month to the next because the tope de gas isn't even a fixed amount, it is different every month.



Yes and as the price of gas worldwide increases and Spain is directed by Brussels to reduce consumption this means the Tope will most likely increase as it is designed to work as a compensation to the providers who pay higher market prices. In other words- it is simply a sleight of hand that makes it look like the government are controlling prices but in reality we are the ones paying for the compensation. The only thing is that we are all in the same boat and eventually everyone will face this this tax unless they were lucky enough to have renewed or changed their contracts in May. Having said that the thought that everything will be back to normal come May looks unlikely given the prognistics of the war so it is easy for the government to simply extend the Tope if required.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

There is also, of course, another new (albeit much smaller) charge which has recently appeared on consumers' bills - Regularizacion Financiacion BS (appears on the bill Xgarb posted as an amount of €2.47). That effectively negates the reduction in electricity consumption tax from 5.11% to 0.5%, so again the Government "gives" with one hand and takes away with the other - at a time when they are collecting record and ever increasing amounts of tax in both IRPF and IVA, even taking into account the reduced IVA on energy bills.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> There is also, of course, another new (albeit much smaller) charge which has recently appeared on consumers' bills - Regularizacion Financiacion BS (appears on the bill Xgarb posted as an amount of €2.47). That effectively negates the reduction in electricity consumption tax from 5.11% to 0.5%, so again the Government "gives" with one hand and takes away with the other - at a time when they are collecting record and ever increasing amounts of tax in both IRPF and IVA, even taking into account the reduced IVA on energy bills.


 Yes you are right. Unfortunately Spain has to reduce its consumption to assist EU to help us break our link with Russia. The war is steadily increasing the market price of energy worldwide. Together this means there is simply no way to reduce or even stabilise our energy bills without someone paying. The UK is pretending to be paying peoples bills by handouts etc but as seen today they are going to have a whopping 60 billion pound hole to fill which means slashing public spending. Spain are taking a more responsible ( well everyone is apart from UK) and trying to get us to consume less. The problem is the balance. I would say 1 person alone will struggle to pay less than 90kwh a month- unless they stop cooking and eat just cold food, microwave food uses little energy but is expensive- yet this one person now faces the increasing tope on their bill. I'm not sure how the Tope works so might be wrong. Does it kick in on all consumption amounts or only when you reach a certain level. I would think its fair to start it only when you reach a certain level depending on other factors.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

kaipa said:


> I'm not sure how the Tope works so might be wrong. Does it kick in on all consumption amounts or only when you reach a certain level. I would think its fair to start it only when you reach a certain level depending on other factors.


On my last two bills it is applied to all energy consumed, nearly doubling the normal cost. I must admit that I have been a bit of a plonker! I have been an Iberdrola customer for 14 years and I have never before studied an electricity bill. I have taken notice for the first time since the shock bill I received for August which included the €106 “tope del precio de gas” tax. Since it was introduced, I have tried to use electricity during the cheaper of the much-publicised three time periods (punta, llano and valle) but, as a result of discussions with Iberdrola, I have now discovered that they don’t apply to me! They have explained that when I moved from the campo to the coast last year I inherited the contract of the previous apartment owner which means I am on a “Plan Especial.” Iberdrola has assured me that it is a favourable plan (€0.122465 Kwh between 11pm and 1pm the next day and €0.19344 Kwh between 1pm and 11pm) and it would not be sensible to change. These rates, of course, don't include the Tope tax! Now that I have become aware of how I am being charged I can at least save a few euros. An expensive lesson learned!


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

kaipa said:


> Does it kick in on all consumption amounts or only when you reach a certain level. I would think its fair to start it only when you reach a certain level depending on other factors.


As The Skipper said, it is charged on every kwh of electricity a consumer uses, no matter how little. I would favour a system whereby consumers paid a lower, subsidised amount for the first tranche of kwh they use (say 100 kwh per month to cover basic needs) then consumers who use more pay a higher rate, split into two bands for average usage and high usage. Might as well stop pretending to charge less for electricity and then loading the tope del gas on top, to quote a well known saying "don't p··· on me and tell me it's raining", and stop energy companies continuing to offer so called fixed rate tariffs when they are now nothing of the sort.


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## number9 (Dec 4, 2021)

It's always odd that on a Spanish electricity cost thread people seek to bring in the UK approach.

I have posted an article from the Telegraph which says that Germany's energy subsidy is very similar to the UK's and risks splitting any single EU approach into national initiatives. The post is subject to moderation.

Does anyone know if the Spanish utility tax system has any kind of safety net for the vulnerable?


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## number9 (Dec 4, 2021)

Germany's 'dangerous' €200bn energy bailout criticised by EU allies


Germany’s “dangerous” €200bn energy bailout has sparked further EU infighting, with Spain and Belgium the latest member states to voice misgivings.




www.telegraph.co.uk


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

number9 said:


> Does anyone know if the Spanish utility tax system has any kind of safety net for the vulnerable?


There is the bono social (this link gives details of the criteria to qualify for it and the level of discounts available). There is a small levy added to all consumers' bills to pay for it.

¿Qué es el Bono Social y como solicitarlo? | Endesa


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Just had my latest bill from Iberdrola for mid September to mid October, and I'm glad to say the tope de gas charge is down to a much more reasonable €0.0870 per kwh this time (half what it was on the last bill).

I know that the theory is that it will reduce from 1 January onwards because from December the price cap on gas used to generate electricity will rise by a small amount each month until the present arrangement finishes at the end of May, so I hope that proves to be the case. But no-one knows what will happen to gas prices in the coming months, if they rise steeply then so will the tope de gas.


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## xgarb (May 6, 2011)

Lynn R said:


> Just had my latest bill from Iberdrola for mid September to mid October, and I'm glad to say the tope de gas charge is down to a much more reasonable €0.0870 per kwh this time (half what it was on the last bill).


Mine is the same as last time











Double the consumption price. I think the tope kWh price is my contract price without the discount I get. Maybe it varies with the type of contract you have.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Iberdrola issued my latest bill yesterday (for mid October to mid November) and the tope del gas charge looks very different - in a good way, it has very nearly disappeared!

The consumption charge was €24.93 (157.43 kwh at €0.158351 per kwh) and the tope del gas only €0.92 (€0.005817 per kwh). There is also a charge called Mecanismo ajuste Op Sistema RDL 10/2022 (I have no clue what that is but it doesn't really matter because it only amounts to €0.03).

So the whole bill only comes to €46.07 including the consumption, tope del gas, potencia charges, equipment rental, the bono social levy and the IVA. That is back to what a normal bill for us should look like at this time of year, the bills are always low in spring and autumn when we are using neither air conditioning/fans nor heating. 

A friend of mine living in the ROI said the other day "are you sitting down, I've just had my electricity bill". Her bill was €546 so we seem to be doing pretty well in Spain.


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## Blondebob2 (4 mo ago)

Been staying in U.K for a few months where our usual monthly leccy bill with Octopus has been approx £60.00, however our latest bill which included the first of 6 Government energy discounts our bill was Zero, to be accurate they owe me 30p............so basically free leccy .............


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Our bill arrived on the 17th and again no gas tope charge.
Or any other unexplained ones either.
Was bit higher than last month as my son and his partner were with us for two weeks and it was too hot for them so the air con and a fan were on... Wimps it only hit 28c one day...










I will say this again and again. Find a plan that is 100% renewable and you cannot be charged for the tope even if your supplier uses gas to generate.

As a comparison, my son is now paying £180.00 a month on DD for a bedsit, he reads the meter each month and sends the reading in and this is the actual usage, not some computer generated amount. I hate to think how much he will pay over the winter..


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Barriej said:


> Our bill arrived on the 17th and again no gas tope charge.
> Or any other unexplained ones either.
> Was bit higher than last month as my son and his partner were with us for two weeks and it was too hot for them so the air con and a fan were on... Wimps it only hit 28c one day...
> 
> ...


I see that under the Regulatory Charges section you have the same small Adjustment mechanism system Op RDL 10/22 charge that appeared on my bill this month, I don't know what that is for but it's only pennies.

I have a 100% renewable energy contract but I suspect the reason why you aren't being charged the tope del gas is not because of that but because you took out your contract before April 2022 (unlike me) and it hasn't auto renewed since then, not because of the renewables thing.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

This is what Iberdrola's website says about this mecanismo de ajuste RDL 10/22


"Mecanismo ajuste Operador del Sistema RDL 10/2022" que resulta de repartir el coste del mecanismo de ajuste en las liquidaciones que realice el Operador del Sistema. Se calculará multiplicado el consumo facturado por el coste horario del mecanismo publicado diariamente por REE, según el perfil inicial vigente de REE correspondiente a la tarifa de acceso del suministro.
I am not much the wiser but it is definitely something that is being charged to everybody, whether they have a 100% renewables contract or not.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

On further investigation it appears that this Mecanismo de Ajuste RDL10/22 is, in fact, just a new name for the tope del gas! I do have a vague recollection of seeing an article in the press a few weeks ago that the Government had told the energy companies to use a new standard wording to describe it on bills, as they thought the fact that different companies were calling it different things was confusing. As I have both things appearing on my bill for this month, albeit the Mecanismo de ajuste charge is only €0.03, I presume the change in name has been applied from a certain date so the other €0.92 for tope del gas applies to the previous dates within the same billing period.

El impacto del mecanismo del "tope del gas" en las facturas de electricidad - CNMC Blog

So it has now started to appear on your Iberdrola bill, Barriej, albeit only very recently.


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Lynn R said:


> I see that under the Regulatory Charges section you have the same small Adjustment mechanism system Op RDL 10/22 charge that appeared on my bill this month, I don't know what that is for but it's only pennies.
> 
> I have a 100% renewable energy contract but I suspect the reason why you aren't being charged the tope del gas is not because of that but because you took out your contract before April 2022 (unlike me) and it hasn't auto renewed since then, not because of the renewables thing.



Possibly as we took the 5 year plan.


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