CFE Rate hike of ~4%...?

by Cincy Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:14 am

Received email today saying my CFE bill is available online.

Over the past 2 years, the bi-monthly billing cycle has always ranged from 59 to 62 days but this billing cycle is only 54 days...??? Strange!

During this 2 year period, using the CFE tariff #1 rates, I have been able to calculate and confirm my bi-monthly electricity bill exactly to the nearest centavo on a spreadsheet. But, this billing period is ~4% higher than it should be! According to the CFE website the #1 tariff has not changed but maybe it has and is not yet reflected on the website?

Anyone have any insight into a potential CFE ~4% rate hike?

by Carry Bean Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:51 am

My dogs had fun grabbing my latest CFE bill when they were playing in the garage and turned it into confetti but my bill varies between 250 pesos to almost 800 pesos with no change in my habits whatsoever. One time it’s relatively high, then the next time it’s low. I suspect the meter reader could use some spectacles. I can’t help with your question but I haven’t heard of any increases other than the one a while back that the government was going to change how much they will provide in subsidies but I don’t think that has started.

by Kiri Sat Jun 16, 2018 11:13 am

Most likely the upper tier usage, resulting in a higher average.

by Cincy Sat Jun 16, 2018 1:22 pm

Kiri wrote:Most likely the upper tier usage, resulting in a higher average.

That comment is unsubstantiated speculation...

Because of the early reading this billing period, only 54 days, I did not quite enter the upper tier.

by MexicoPete Sat Jun 16, 2018 1:27 pm

Just for the fun of it, I have recorded the DAC rate and monthly fee when on DAC only since 2002. The annual data was recorded each May.

Now the monthly fee which was 32.84 in 2002 increased regularly by 3% to about 10% per year. This year, the monthly fee was $102.79.

Now the May 2002 charge per Kilowatt was 1.662 pesos, in May this year the rate was $4.538 pesos per Kilowatt hour

Please note that these are the stated prices from the CFE webpage which do not include the added 16% sales tax

In May, the 2018 monthly fee was 3% higher than in 2017. The 2018 monthly Kilowatt per hour fee increased since May 2017 by about 3.8%

by Cincy Sat Jun 16, 2018 1:40 pm

Hi Peter, this is your neighbor typing...

Both my hand calcs and the CFE formulas coded into my spreadsheet confirm a lower $$$ than my CFE bill is quoting; assuming no rate hike.

I've found that if I increase the basic & intermediate CFE rates by 4% and round off to 3 decimal places then add IVA I get the exact $$$ on my bill.

by helohfe Sat Jun 16, 2018 1:53 pm

You guys are trying to "separate the fly shit from the pepper"..There is no absolute logic with CFE..Just pay them and not go blind or crazy taking the Peso to 3 decimal places..LOL

by MexicoPete Sat Jun 16, 2018 1:54 pm

Sadly I only started recording the DAC rate in 2002, because that is before I got my photovoltaic solar panels. And my bills were large and charged at the DAC rate, not at the lowest Tariff 1 rates. So I have no data on that.

But the figures you posted make sense. I am sure glad we have solar systems. Now with the devaluation of the peso one could say that the rates may have gone down. :)

by Trailrunner Sat Jun 16, 2018 2:06 pm

helohfe wrote:You guys are trying to "separate the fly shit from the pepper"..There is no absolute logic with CFE..Just pay them and not go blind or crazy taking the Peso to 3 decimal places..LOL

by Cincy Sat Jun 16, 2018 2:15 pm

helohfe wrote:You guys are trying to "separate the fly shit from the pepper"..There is no absolute logic with CFE..Just pay them and not go blind or crazy taking the Peso to 3 decimal places..LOL

Collecting and compiling data (metrics) is one way Pete and I track the health of our solar panels. I guess it's an "Engineering Thing"...LOL

by slainte39 Sat Jun 16, 2018 3:51 pm

MexicoPete wrote: Now with the devaluation of the peso one could say that the rates may have gone down. :)

Ummmm! Not if you are Mexican and live in a peso only world.
You do realize that there are a few of us (Mexicans) living here. (and many read this board.....silently, not like me)
Well at least you did say "may". LOL
Just don't want you to become too gringocentric since you do speak some Spanish.

I wonder how far you guys extend "pi" after the decimal point? lol!

by CanuckBob Sat Jun 16, 2018 4:15 pm

And only for American's.........the Canadian peso is in the tank with our Mexican brethren.

by MexicoPete Sat Jun 16, 2018 6:55 pm

slainte39 wrote:
MexicoPete wrote: Now with the devaluation of the peso one could say that the rates may have gone down. :)

Ummmm! Not if you are Mexican and live in a peso only world.
You do realize that there are a few of us (Mexicans) living here. (and many read this board.....silently, not like me)
Well at least you did say "may". LOL
Just don't want you to become too gringocentric since you do speak some Spanish.

I wonder how far you guys extend "pi" after the decimal point?

Honestly Slainte, without checking I remember it to be 3.1415926. Before old age set in (I have "Partimers" not Alzheimers), I knew it out to perhaps the 20th place.

by ferret Sat Jun 16, 2018 7:07 pm

So, how do you guys really track the health of your solar panels? I have an Envoy monitoring system and can see how much I've produced, on any day, immediately after the sun goes down. The system is connected to my wifi and I log in to see the data on my laptop. Every month, I also receive an e-mail detailing all that the panels have produced during the month. Love it! And really, really love my 46 peso bills... all the while banking extra to use an electric heater in the winter.
Normally, I produce around 10 kwh on a clear day. But even on each of the three solidly cloudy days we've had lately, the panels still produced 5 kwh. Colour me impressed and I'm so glad I made the leap.

by MexicoPete Sat Jun 16, 2018 7:22 pm

Sadly ferret, when I first ordered my system in late 2007 which was installed in March 2008, we did not have that option. Were I to have purchased my panels and inverter some years later, I would have jumped at the opportunity to be able check on line as you do..

Me, I check my CFE meter and write down the readings each morning as I leave for breakfast, something I do every morning. I am quite envious of those of you who purchased later than I and were given the opportunity to check their daily detailed usage on their laptops.

by ferret Sat Jun 16, 2018 7:33 pm

Are you sure that you can't do it now? It's a separate module that sits between your panel collator (for want of a better word) and your electrical panel. Each of my 5 panels has its own microinverter.
I'm just learning about all this stuff but Bettina at SmartPV might be able to get you an answer.
It's just the best toy!

by MexicoPete Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:15 pm

I have three invertors and 28 panels. The first 10 panels were 170 watts each, the next twelve panels have 180 watts each and the final six 240 watts (each of the three sets of panels has its own inverter). Oh the first ten have a battery backup inverter, which is really cool when there is a power outage which I do not notice

Why so many installations? The first ten were put up before the house was finished and I knew that I would have to add more. The next 12 were placed in another area once the house was finished and I was better able to estimate the needs. And the final 6 went in years later when I decided to go for 46 pesos per billing period and not worry about ever going into DAC. Yes those final 6 panels had a modern invertor could have provided me that usage information as you explained above but not for the other invertors. I therefore chose to add that option to that package

by ferret Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:30 pm

Panels are getting more and more efficient. Mine are 350 watts and I read recently that there are now panels that produce 370 watts. For those interested... those numbers mean that each panel is capable of producing 350 watts PER HOUR.
Whatever works for you Pete. It was just a thought.
Just had some fun organizing a solar setup with batteries for a rural property outside of Rosseau, Ontario. They are totally off grid and are delighted. I wasn't happy with the orientation of the panels but they only use the property on the weekends and in the summer. It will work fine for the purpose and is working well. Bonus.

by MexicoPete Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:41 pm

Yes ferret the new panels are much more efficient. Also they are somewhat larger than my 170 and 180 watt panels, but not so much larger as to explain the doubled wattage.

by slainte39 Sun Jun 17, 2018 12:33 am

MexicoPete wrote:

Honestly Slainte, without checking I remember it to be 3.1415926. Before old age set in (I have "Partimers" not Alzheimers), I knew it out to perhaps the 20th place.

It is a true irrational number.
I read once that the Japanese with some supercomputer had carried out to 5 trillion digits with no end in sight and they just gave up.

by Cincy Sun Jun 17, 2018 7:35 am

Solar Panel Health: I take occasional readings from the CFE meter and add them to my spreadsheet which checks average usage, extrapolates the estimated next bill and tracks any trending towards DAC.

When I first came to Mexico I bought with me the same reckless use of electricity I had NOB. Not knowing anything or even caring about the solar panels already installed at my casa I had a couple of cheap electricity bills which soon doubled then, wham, I was in the DAC. MexicoPete explained what had happened and converted me to a more responsible consumer of energy.

Now, averaging over time in a 24 hour period, the casa consumes approx. 15 kWh while the solar produces approx. 10 kWh.

But, this post was about supposed to be about the apparent hike in the CFE rates...!!!

by ferret Sun Jun 17, 2018 8:50 am

LOL Cincy! Didn't notice any apparent hike in the CFE rates because my bill is 46 pesos. My bill doesn't even show the rates any more.

I tracked my electrical consumption for a year before putting in solar. From past experience living in Mexico, it's the pumps (pool and house water and pressurized water that suck the most energy annually, followed by air conditioning. Went from San Miguel with low energy consumption (tinaco only, no air) to the coast with high energy consumption (pool, pressurized water, air) to Ajijic with just pressurized water fueling a sprinkler system and the house giving a moderate bill.
I specifically picked a small house which only operates with a tinaco (does have a back up aljibe if needed) and I don't have air (but do have 5 fans). I use the hose in my garden pero no cuesta nada del tinaco. My average daily consumption is 5.5 kwh and I'm not pinching on use.
My big splurge was for my little electric fireplace heater which is gonna suck 8.3 kwh PER DAY. Those propane tanks for the portable heater are getting really heavy. So, I planned for heat and ambience and the ability to leave the heat source on while I sleep. How divine is that?
Snug as a bug in a rug. ;)

by Carry Bean Sun Jun 17, 2018 10:31 am

To highjack this thread even further (sorry, Cindy) but what’s the range of costs for solar these days? Not worth it to me yet since my bills are low but of the government does cut out the subsidy I want to be prepared.

by ferret Sun Jun 17, 2018 1:04 pm

From Bettina at SmartPV… quote from Jan. 17th, 2018 and installed lst week in March.
Silfab 350W Monocrystalline panels... made in Canada... 25 yr. warranty... $344 U.S. EACH
Enphase microinverter..10 year warranty..one for each panel..$165 U.S. EACH
1 Envoy monitoring device to check production & values via wifi.. $365 U.S.
Installation: labour & materials (solar cable, AC/DC protection, conduit pipe to breaker box, full aluminum structure and system connection) for 5 panels... $1,120 U.S.

Clean, fast installation... less than 1 day.
Then you wait for CFE to install the Bi-Directional Meter after you've signed their new contract. I waited 3 weeks.

by MexicoPete Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:50 pm

Ferret posted "LOL Cincy! Didn't notice any apparent hike in the CFE rates because my bill is 46 pesos. My bill doesn't even show the rates any more."

Good news Ferret. Because the minimum bill of 46 pesos represents 25 KW per month at the lowest rate charged per KWH that month or in this case 2 months plus 16% sales tax

Every two month plus or minus a few days we get a bill rounded off to the nearest peso for 50 KW hours of electricity charged at tariff level 1, even if you generated more power than we used.

So we can figure out that the rate is 46 pesos divided by 50 KWH or about 92 centavos per kilowatt hour for the first 150 KW hours over a two month period, 16% taxes included or about $0.793 pesos per KWH hour before taxes.

Now to get the exact rate, you can go on line to CFE and, work your way into "Consulta tu tarifa". Trouble is it helps if you can understand a little Spanish so that you can go to the correct link. And once there you can see the exact rates charged for the month you wish to check.

If you are good at Spanish, which I am not, it is very simple to get to correct page. It was hard for me, but with some effort I was able to get there

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