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The Real Decreto Ley from October last year did not just get rid of Sun Tax and provided info about the new Bono Social, but also contains information about new consumer rights with regards to your electricity contract.
Instead of the standard ´potencia´ contracted at 3,3 or 5,5 Kw for example, which will still be options for those without ´smart meters´, those that have smart meters that are equipped for ´telegestion´(remote management) and high/low tariff, will be allowed to choose their own standard charge for ´potencia´, at any interval of 0,1 kW up to 15 kW. If you are on the high/low tariff, the contracted potencia should be the one that corresponds with the top of your usage, both during the high and the low stage of the tariff.
Each 0,1 kW decrease on your contract could mean a saving of about 5 euros per year. Most suppliers only allow you to change once a year.
Another change in the regulations is with regards to the ´boletín´. The electricity companies are obliged to verify the state of low tension electricity installations, at the cost of the consumer, if the contract is older than 20 years and the consumer wants to increase the contracted power ´potencia´. If the installation is not up to par with the current regulations, they can insist on adaptations to the installation and a ´boletín´ from a certified installer once finished. In all other cases, e.g. changes to the contract to high/low tariff and/or decrease in contracted power, they cannot insist on verification of the installation.
In view of the above, if you decide to bring down your contracted potencia, make sure you don’t bring it down too much, as when you do, and would need to increase again, this could require a new boletín.
