Casa Kuhn Utility Report

Quiet in the casa! Lights, power, water and we have action on the utility scene!
Utilities, well I said that I would report back once we had the information needed to determine the total monthly utility costs.
As a basis to work from let me tell you about our usages. The costs listed below are a good representation for the summer billing period. These costs are for summer rates. We do not leave lights on very often in rooms that are not in use however we do have two lights on timers that do their thing every day and the front two wall lights are on a photo cell. The pool filter runs twice a day for two hours each. When I need to vacuum the pool the system then runs as well and that is on average every three days. The water softener system runs every other day. There is a submersible water pump in the cistern out front that is used to pressurize our water system so it runs as needed. We have a submersible pump in the back pozo (well) that we turn on when we water the garden and that varies depending on the wet or dry season. This pump is also used to fill the pool as needed. The three ac’s are also used as needed with the master bedroom being the most used. The guest bedroom only when we have visitors and then periodically just to be sure it’s running properly. The office when needed during the real hot season and periodically just to be sure it’s running properly. None have ever run 24/7. There are two refrigerators and a small wine cooler unit that also run daily. Other than that the computer is on from the time we get up until we go out or to bed. So armed with that info here we go!
Electricity for Sept 10 thru Nov 9 came in at 1,508.00 pesos, our most expensive bill to date. At present the peso dollar relationship is 10.7 pesos to one green back. So our electric bill is $140.93 US for two months….or $70.47 per month.
Water holds fairly steady but I will quote our highest bill to date. The highest bill was 153.20 pesos and that amount covers two months. So dividing it by 10.7 we have a US figure of $14.31 or $7.16 per month. Again I’ll point out that the water usage in regards to the pool comes from the pozo (well) and the only expense for that is the electricity to pump it.
Propane gas is the hardest to be able to get an exact reading on. We have a large propane tank of the roof that they come and fill upon request. Averaging the last two fills our usage comes to $.81US per day. Or $24.30 per month.
Last comes the salt for the softener. On average I put in 25 kilos of salt each week. Each bag is 43 pesos or $4. US per bag which puts the monthly cost at $16.00.
So doing the big calculation our utilities run us a total of $118.00 per month.

Of course this may change as we haven’t had a full winter season set of bills as yet. We have turned up the thermostat on the water heater because as it gets cooler a warmer shower is more comfortable. During the hot summer months very little hot water is used. So the water heater will be using more gas. The water and electric should stay steady. For those of you that may say well those ac’s use a lot of electricity so with their usage being diminished the electric bills should be lower. This is very true but we are not the only one’s that understand this. CFE is our electric company, the only one, and they do have a few intelligent people in the company! So, they raise the rates for electricity every winter season as they too like to have things stay steady! LOL!
I need to add that CFE has levels of consumption that they rate. They charge more per kilowatt hour as your usage increases.

This will be our first full winter season in the house. Yes, winter season is cooler here but not cold by Colorado standards. But as your blood thins due to the higher temperatures the cooler months do take on a more chilled feeling. Some houses have fireplaces and there are space heaters that are sold here. CFE loves those who buy electric space heaters! LOL! You may remember that one of the reasons that Debi wanted to leave Colorado was each year she would have more issues with the cold. She has slept with the sheet and comforter on already this month and she’s wondering if we may have to end up getting glass put in the kitchen and pantry doors and windows after all. Time will tell and Debi will tell me! LOL!

Here are the average temperatures for Merida:
The first set of temps are the year's average, then Jan thru Dec.
°F 80 74 75 80 82 85 84 83 83 82 80 77 75
°C 26 23 23 26 27 29 28 28 28 27 26 25 23

Please keep in mind that it does get cold here from time to time. The coldest temperature recorded here is argued between 39 and 41 °F. That’s real cold for here and we’ve been here when it was 51 °F and that is a bit nippy as well. Our low temps right now are in the high 60’s
°F.
Some of the locals are already sporting sweaters, knit hats, and gloves.