Utility costs and bill control

It is for anyone considering, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. After reading, you should be able to budget your utilities realistically and spot a wrong bill.

Start with "What utilities typically cost per month in Spain". It gives you the monthly figures to plan around. After that, read about everyday habits that cut bills, how rules and taxes differ by region and island, how meters and estimated bills work, and how dealing with utility companies works in practice.

Key rules

• Switching supplier: Switching electricity or gas supplier costs nothing and normally takes up to 5 working days, without the supply being cut off.
• Electricity cut-off notice: Before electricity can be cut for unpaid bills, the supplier must give you formal notice with at least 15 days to pay.
• Cheap hours: On the 2.0TD electricity tariff, weekday off-peak (valle) hours are 00:00-08:00, and all hours on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays are off-peak.
• Electricity: Your bill depends on tariff, contracted power, usage and the wholesale price, so ask the supplier for all of them.
• Water: Prices are set city by city, so a friend's bill elsewhere tells you little about yours.
• Tax by territory: IVA applies on the mainland and in the Balearics, but IGIC applies in the Canary Islands and IPSI in Ceuta and Melilla.

Utility costs and bill control: the whole process, step by step

• Budget your monthly bills (read What utilities typically cost per month in Spain): before you sign any contract

• Check whether piped gas reaches your street, or plan for butane or electric heating (read How utility rules and taxes differ by region and island): before you choose a home or sign a gas contract

• Check your contracted power on the bill or contract and ask your retailer to adjust it if needed: in your first weeks after moving in

• Compare electricity and gas offers and switch retailer; the new retailer handles the cancellation (read How dealing with utility companies works in Spain in practice): once you have a bill to compare; the change takes up to 5 working days

• Shift your use to cheap hours and adopt saving habits (read Everyday habits that cut energy and water bills): from the first billing cycle

• Expect bills in each cycle: electricity usually monthly, gas monthly or every two months, water every two or three months: every month or every two to three months

• Check estimated bills and send your own meter reading when a bill is estimated (read Meters, readings and estimated bills explained): whenever a bill is marked as estimated

• Book technician or meter visits in half-day slots, morning or afternoon: a few days to two weeks ahead; meter or connection work can take several weeks

• Complain to the supplier's customer service if a bill looks wrong: as soon as you spot the error; the supplier generally has one month to answer

• Escalate to the consumer arbitration board, your local consumer office or the energy regulator: if the supplier does not answer or the answer is not satisfactory

• Pay any unpaid bill, or ask about the social bonus if you are a vulnerable household: within the at least 15 days given in the formal notice before an electricity cut-off

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Your ID — Everyday habits that cut energy and water bills, How dealing with utility companies works in Spain in practice

Income and work

• The large-family certificate or income documents — Everyday habits that cut energy and water bills

The home and the lease

• Your latest electricity bill or contract — Everyday habits that cut energy and water bills
• The CUPS of the address — How dealing with utility companies works in Spain in practice

Other documents

• Habitability certificate — How utility rules and taxes differ by region and island
• A new electrician's certificate — Everyday habits that cut energy and water bills

Utility costs and bill control: questions that cross several articles

Why do my water bills differ so much from other cities?

Water bills differ widely between Spanish cities because each municipality or utility sets its own tariffs. Dry southeast, Mediterranean and island areas tend to cost more than the north. Read What utilities typically cost per month in Spain for budgeting and How utility rules and taxes differ by region and island for local charges.

Which taxes are added to my electricity, gas and water bills?

On the mainland, electricity carries a special electricity tax of about 5.11% plus 21% IVA (Spain's VAT), and gas carries a hydrocarbons tax plus 21% IVA. Water carries 10% IVA. The Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla use different taxes, so read How utility rules and taxes differ by region and island.

How do I find out whether I can get piped gas, and what are the prices if not?

Piped gas is mostly in large cities and coastal or industrial areas, and is often missing in rural areas, the Canary Islands and Ceuta and Melilla. Without it, households use butane bottles, whose regulated price is revised every two months, or electricity.

Does my contracted power affect what I pay and what I can save?

Yes, your contracted power sets the fixed part of your electricity bill, and lowering it normally reduces that charge. You can find it on your bill and ask your retailer to change it. Read What utilities typically cost per month in Spain and Everyday habits that cut energy and water bills.

When are electricity hours cheapest, and does it matter on weekends?

On the 2.0TD tariff the cheapest (valle) hours are 00:00-08:00 on weekdays, and all hours on weekends and national holidays are cheap. Running the washing machine then lowers your bill.

Check current prices and rates with the CNMC, OCU, the ministry or your local water utility.