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Card Electric Meters

Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 3:48pm
8 replies315 views5 members subscribed
Debz1963

Posts: 9

Location: Camposol

Joined: 25 May 2020

Hi, after reading posts on this site I am still confused. We are looking to rent our villa and would prefer a card electric meter but read that they continue working when no credit on. Is this correct please?

Jaynie

Posted: Tue May 26, 2020 2:51pm

Posts: 66

27 helpful points

Location: Camposol

Joined: 23 Jun 2017

Posted: Tue May 26, 2020 2:51pm

No, not true. I have one for sale having removed from my property I previously rented out

zacdog

Posted: Tue May 26, 2020 5:31pm

zacdog

Helpful member

Posts: 468

221 helpful points

Location: Camposol

Joined: 14 Oct 2018

Posted: Tue May 26, 2020 5:31pm

Jaynie wrote on Tue May 26, 2020 2:51pm:

No, not true. I have one for sale having removed from my property I previously rented out

Caution on this answer, not sure about Spanish law, but in UK, it's a criminal offence to remove or fit a gas or electric meter without prior permission of the supplier, one of their engineers should carry out any meter exchange. A pre payment electric meter won't continue working, ie supplying electricity after it runs out of 'all' credit, untill such a time as you 'top it up' with more credit on your card.  Most card meters have a built in safely system to cover you over weekend and bank holidays.  If the card meter continues supplying electricity without credit, it's either faulty or tampered with.

Debz1963

Posted: Tue May 26, 2020 5:37pm

Debz1963

Original Poster

Posts: 9

Location: Camposol

Joined: 25 May 2020

Posted: Tue May 26, 2020 5:37pm

zacdog wrote on Tue May 26, 2020 5:31pm:

Caution on this answer, not sure about Spanish law, but in UK, it's a criminal offence to remove or fit a gas or electric meter without prior permission of the supplier, one of their engineers should carry out any meter exchange. A pre payment electric meter won't continue working, ie supplying e...

...lectricity after it runs out of 'all' credit, untill such a time as you 'top it up' with more credit on your card.  Most card meters have a built in safely system to cover you over weekend and bank holidays.  If the card meter continues supplying electricity without credit, it's either faulty or tampered with.

Thank you very much for your help 😄👍

RichT

Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 5:18pm

RichT

Super helpful member

Posts: 1134

1259 helpful points

Location: Lorca

Joined: 13 Sep 2019

Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 5:18pm

zacdog wrote on Tue May 26, 2020 5:31pm:

Caution on this answer, not sure about Spanish law, but in UK, it's a criminal offence to remove or fit a gas or electric meter without prior permission of the supplier, one of their engineers should carry out any meter exchange. A pre payment electric meter won't continue working, ie supplying e...

...lectricity after it runs out of 'all' credit, untill such a time as you 'top it up' with more credit on your card.  Most card meters have a built in safely system to cover you over weekend and bank holidays.  If the card meter continues supplying electricity without credit, it's either faulty or tampered with.

I can confirm zacdog's post - the meter belongs to the energy supplier (you rent it as their customer) and should only be exchanged by one of their engineers.

Prepayment meters are also not generally available in Spain.

Most short-term holiday-type rentals include the electricity in the rent, so you could just include the average cost per week. It's quite common to charge an additional sum, if agreed, to have the pool heated, for example. If you were renting long-term, then either the tenant should have the supply transferred into their name to pay; or you could take monthly readings and bill the tenant.

I have seen examples of coin meters fitted to the specific supply to an aircon unit, for example, but you're then creating an inconvenience for your tenant which they probably won't appreciate.

Hope this helps!

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Debz1963

Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 7:08pm

Debz1963

Original Poster

Posts: 9

Location: Camposol

Joined: 25 May 2020

Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 7:08pm

RichT wrote on Fri May 29, 2020 5:18pm:

I can confirm zacdog's post - the meter belongs to the energy supplier (you rent it as their customer) and should only be exchanged by one of their engineers.

Prepayment meters are also not generally available in Spain.

Most short-term holiday-type rentals include the electricity in the rent, so you could just include the average cost per week. It's quite common to charge an additional sum, if agreed, to have the pool heated, for example. If you were renting long-term, then either the tenant should have the supply transferred into their name to pay; or you could take monthly readings and bill the tenant.

I have seen examples of coin meters fitted to the specific supply to an aircon unit, for example, but you're then creating an inconvenience for your tenant which they probably won't appreciate.

Hope this helps!

Thank you, yes that’s great 😀

crissywissy

Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 10:11am

crissywissy

Super helpful member

Posts: 2441

1614 helpful points

Location: Mar Menor

Joined: 26 Sep 2015

Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 10:11am

Nothing to do with the electric company! We have a card meter in our rental apartment for the aircon only but we could include the whole electric supply ...its supplied and fitted for around 200€ ...make AC Guard System.

You still obviously have the standing charges but supply is via cards of varying amounts and fitting includes around 100 cards...

zacdog

Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 10:22am

zacdog

Helpful member

Posts: 468

221 helpful points

Location: Camposol

Joined: 14 Oct 2018

Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 10:22am

crissywissy wrote on Sat May 30, 2020 10:11am:

Nothing to do with the electric company! We have a card meter in our rental apartment for the aircon only but we could include the whole electric supply ...its supplied and fitted for around 200€ ...make AC Guard System.

You still obviously have the standing charges but supply is via cards of varying amounts and fitting includes around 100 cards......

...

Where are the new cards for electricity credit purchased? Also, where is the meter for the rest of the appliances in the apartment if you don't mind me asking?  This is what's called a 'Landlord's Meter' and is purchased and fitted onto the supply from the main meter ,or and, consumer unit feeding the air con units only. This is a common and legal practice to recover costs from tenants.  You will still get your bill from the electric supplier.  A pre-pay meter which supplies electricity to the whole property is very different to this and may confuse the original poster.

Debz1963

Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 10:28am

Debz1963

Original Poster

Posts: 9

Location: Camposol

Joined: 25 May 2020

Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 10:28am

zacdog wrote on Sat May 30, 2020 10:22am:

Where are the new cards for electricity credit purchased? Also, where is the meter for the rest of the appliances in the apartment if you don't mind me asking?  This is what's called a 'Landlord's Meter' and is purchased and fitted onto the supply from the main meter ,or and, consumer unit f...

...eeding the air con units only. This is a common and legal practice to recover costs from tenants.  You will still get your bill from the electric supplier.  A pre-pay meter which supplies electricity to the whole property is very different to this and may confuse the original poster.

Thanks Crissy, really helpful.

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