rbakeremai

Went there tonight. The sea bass was amazing! I have to say it’s the best Italian food I’ve had anywhere. It’s a restaurant that deserves the fuss. Looking forward to going back!

How the electric rates work here.

Basic info to know is that a kilowatt-hour (KWH) is a measurement of usage that equates to using a 1000 watt electric heater for 1 hour, OR using a 10 watt light bulb for 100 hours. Knowing what each item uses will help a great deal, it should be listed somewhere on the device. Watching your meter turn is helpful too, you want it to creep. Flip on a 100 watt bulb and watch it spin. Flip on a heater and watch it really go! Outside lights can use a lot of power!

How your power is charged:

Your first 150 KWHs (Basico) are pretty cheap, .679 pesos, or 5 ½ cents per KWH.

The next 100 KWHs (Intermedio) are more expensive, 1.121 pesos, or 9 cents per KWH. (close to US pricing)

Everything after 250 KWHs (Excedemente), is very expensive, 2.377 pesos, or 19 cents per KWH. (Basic rates in AZ were between 12 and 14 cents, and I usually paid 8 cents because of time advantage metering)

This is where going green can really, really pay off. I switched all of my bulbs to compact fluorescents (CFLs) (buy in the states-much cheaper), which use about 25% of the power a normal bulb does for the same light. I even have some LED bulbs that use a whopping 1.5 watts each. It’s not a “hippie” thing, it’s a “cash in your pocket” thing.

My first bill here was 303 KWH, which amounted to 373 pesos. The next bill, during which we used a 1500 watt electric heater on just a few occasions, was 433 KWH, and my bill nearly doubled to 748 pesos.

If you can keep your usage low, your bills can be really low. Electric heaters will kill your bill. If I had doubled my first bill’s usage, from 303 KWH to 606 KWH, that would have brought my bill to over 1100 pesos as opposed to 373. Triple the cost for double the usage!

So again, go green, get CFLs or LEDs, turn lights off, avoid electric heaters, etc…

If someone is hijacking your power, that’s an expensive problem to have. Turn off everything, including unplugging the fridge, PC, TV, stove, anything that creates a draw, and then go watch your meter turn. If your meter is still spinning at a noticeable rate, someone is stealing your power, or you haven’t unplugged everything. Be sure to plug everything back in after doing this!

I have no idea what to do if someone is stealing your power though, I’m still pretty new here.

Hope this helps!

Not that this is the best solution for you situation, but if you get Dish Network, the university channels offer some Spanish courses. I have been learning from Senor Roberto on channel 9411. Cheesy as all get out, but it sticks. From elementary to adult levels. I’ve never taken a Spanish class before, so it’s definitely my speed. Just thought others might benefit from that, since it’s free, and if you have a DVR it’s super convenient.

How soon do you need it? I don't have a costco membership yet though, is that the only place to find a good deal?

I didn't pay any deposit. It's 321 pesos for 1mb internet and phone.