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Costambar is a beach community located in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
 
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 APC Notice / Light / Fees

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suzb




Posts : 108
Join date : 2009-04-10

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PostSubject: Re: APC Notice / Light / Fees   APC Notice / Light / Fees Icon_minitimeFri Feb 25, 2011 10:06 am

Thank you Mark I did not realize that being over 700 creates one big price and I was at 713 I really think the inverter is responsible for much of that. I had not had any guests nor used the Air conditioners, once I have guests I always have a big bill which I expect, we Americans are not used to watch our electric bill :-) I have a big generator Anette but I took it off automatic it's a long story :-) I like the way it all comes together so I won't make any changes except watch my meter more closely.
Thank you both for your input. Have a great day.
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Anette K.N.




Posts : 147
Join date : 2009-04-23

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PostSubject: Re: APC Notice / Light / Fees   APC Notice / Light / Fees Icon_minitimeSat Feb 19, 2011 9:15 pm

I actually also liked the inverter Suzanne. The only thing which disturbs me is the noise the fans are making due to some differences in the electricity. I also realized that not all inverters are the same and some produce more noise - for example in the fans - than others..
Well, my generator is automatic and it starts and turns off automatically, which is super comfortable and additionally I can use my air condition, my pool and everything using my generator. The best thing I have ever bought here!
There are some kind of comfort I don’t want to live without and I don’t want even to try to make mental exercises to support not having light - no way! I better save on other kind of things then!
If Edenorte even uses a wrong address on your bill it is weird.. Maybe they charge you for somebody else’s house? But Mark is right, that the bill gets very high as soon as you go over the limit of 700 Kw (I think it is the amount - not sure). You should check your meter very often and write the figures down - I used to do that too.
I also think Edenorte raised the price with 11 % a while ago!
Well, we can just hope the electricity supply will improve to 24 hours service soon! Although it will be expensive! Cool
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gymbar




Posts : 142
Join date : 2009-09-08

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PostSubject: Re: APC Notice / Light / Fees   APC Notice / Light / Fees Icon_minitimeSat Feb 19, 2011 10:35 am

It sounds to me like you've gone over the 700kWh limit Suzanne, then your whole bill is charged at the highest rate - 1kWh from 699 to 700 costs about RD3000!

Invertors only cost money to recharge if you use power when the street power is off - I know that sounds obvious, but I always try to minimise my usage during power cuts. This also has the dual advantages of enabling me to run longer before the batteries discharge & prolongs the life of the batteries.

I consider all these things as a mental challenge - it sure beats doing a Sudoku puzzle every day ....
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suzb




Posts : 108
Join date : 2009-04-10

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PostSubject: Re: APC Notice / Light / Fees   APC Notice / Light / Fees Icon_minitimeSat Feb 19, 2011 8:56 am

I am now on a new higher tariff on this last bill, the basic and then just one very high tariff I used to have several tariffs.
I am also getting a bill now, I was not getting one for at least a year I used to have to call to get the amount I owed.
They also have the wrong address! figure! No matter what I have done to try to change it, no change. But they find me :-)
I know the inverter amounts for a lot of the electric cost Anette, but I like it, I don't like to have to put the generator on all the time
This electric situation in Costambar is just awful.
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Anette K.N.




Posts : 147
Join date : 2009-04-23

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PostSubject: Re: APC Notice / Light / Fees   APC Notice / Light / Fees Icon_minitimeFri Feb 18, 2011 10:21 pm

Few years ago they came from Edenorte to check my meter and I asked why… They told me, that my meter was running too slow and that is not convenient for Edenorte???? I showed them my bills of approximately 10.000 to 12.000 pesos per month and I asked them if they found that “too little”. They said “Nooooo - that is a lot” and they let me keep my meter…
I was told, that Edenorte will always try to find a way to cover “their loss” inside the project and therefore they do things like they did to you Suzanne - and the bad part is, that nobody wants to listen if you complain!
Since I stopped using my inverter my bills have gone down incredible much! I now use my generator and my inverter ONLY if I am not home. Well, I have a high diesel bill for the generator, however I pay under the half to Edenorte (because we have so many black outs). I have 12 batteries for my inverter and it is really expensive to use…

I spoke to an engineer from Edenorte this afternoon (they are doing works in my area right now). They were replacing some cables and checking the transformers. They told me, that we will properly get 24 hours light in a month or so… Hope it is true!

Do you know you can save money by having two meters? You tell Edenorte you rent part of your property and you need a second meter for the first floor for example. (You have to prepare the installations before you ask for the second meter - to split first and second floor for example) . More electricity you use - higher the price per kilowatt - therefore having two meters is cheaper. You use one meter for 14 days and the second meter for the other 14 days - you get two bills, but the total is much lower.
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gymbar




Posts : 142
Join date : 2009-09-08

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PostSubject: Re: APC Notice / Light / Fees   APC Notice / Light / Fees Icon_minitimeFri Feb 18, 2011 2:21 pm

Oh Crap!

Edeidiote are here messing with my meter at the bar.

I use 11kWh every day mas o menos ..... let's see what happens after they finish screwing with it!

Now they're confused cos I've turned my power off & am running off invertor hahaha.

I don't trust them not to blow everything in the bar ....
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gymbar




Posts : 142
Join date : 2009-09-08

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PostSubject: Re: APC Notice / Light / Fees   APC Notice / Light / Fees Icon_minitimeFri Feb 18, 2011 10:19 am

Suzanne you're not the only person who has had a new meter & the bill has increased dramatically. The same thing happened at the house where Louises' family were staying. There can be only two reasons for this.

1/ Your consumption increased dramatically for some reason - check the kWh graph on the bill to check that;

2/ You are on a new higher tariff which has resulted in you paying more per kWh;

I read my meter every day & know to within RD300 what my bill should be each month. Given the vagaries of the electrical system in this country I recommend we all do the same.
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suzb




Posts : 108
Join date : 2009-04-10

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PostSubject: Re: APC Notice / Light / Fees   APC Notice / Light / Fees Icon_minitimeFri Feb 18, 2011 9:15 am

For whatever reason Edenorte changed our meter and one Edenorte person came into the living room asking a lot of questions while completing a form basically what appliances do we have etc....which we answered.
NOW we have just received this month's bill and it is 3 times higher than before AND when they changed the meter they moved it over and left an open gaping hole in the wall with the cables in it, we asked to have it covered and they said they diid not have anything to cover it with.
We are obviously not one of the people who steal electricity but it's easy to select one of our houses. This has been a trememndous improvement for us.we now pay three times more than before for electricity which is off half the time..
So where is the benefit here!
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gymbar




Posts : 142
Join date : 2009-09-08

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PostSubject: Re: APC Notice / Light / Fees   APC Notice / Light / Fees Icon_minitimeThu Feb 17, 2011 8:46 pm

I agree with not letting people into your house - NOBODY gets into our home unless we know them. Should Edeidiote wish to come in I will need copies of cedulas which I shall get APC to check against police records. This is a free service for APC payers by the way. I will also keep a record personally so that, should my property be burgled, they will be the first people to have the police call.

As regards the rest, let's just see what happens. If they get just half the non-payers to pay that will be good for the town ...
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Anette K.N.




Posts : 147
Join date : 2009-04-23

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PostSubject: Re: APC Notice / Light / Fees   APC Notice / Light / Fees Icon_minitimeSun Feb 13, 2011 11:25 pm

Well, at least you have an opinion Mark Very Happy - nobody else seams to be interested.
You know, I am not trying to boycott any actions if they are to the benefit of Costambar. The problem is, that the issue about the fees is somehow “telling the people an untrue story” (to say it in the most “friendly” way possible).
We cannot all be fools I hope? Do you really find it correct to make up a story like this one hoping the people will believe it? I cannot support that!
I don’t believe it will be to any benefit at all . Some people might just laugh, but others might get even more angry..

Apparently other people from City Hall also went to the Junta de Vecinos meeting and as far as I was told, this people from City Hall said that they don’t even have a legal department.. They also confirmed that City Hall has no authority deciding over Maintenance fees in Costambar.. So it is getting a little ridiculous …
Not only Costambar is divided - City Hall is too! (apparently)
I would love not to be negative, however I am trying to be realistic!
Somebody said to me “ We are all together in this - don’t damage the cause” . This is the biggest nonsense I have ever heard .. Is more than 50% of the community “together in this” ? I doubt it! And again - I is not about what we might wish to be right.. It is about being right!

As far as the maintenance is concerned I am still cleaning and cutting the street borders and the lot next to my home - paying a worker out of my own pocket.. For one year now!
Nobody else is ever doing it! Next to my neighbors house EVERYBODY is walking right into Costambar. There is a path along her wall by now, because of the many people passing there every day.
I also own a separate lot elsewhere in Costambar and I am always paying somebody to clean the lot regularly, because it was not possible for APC to offer a decent maintenance.. The grass was constantly 3 feet high!
So what are we talking about here? Maintenance?
I would love Costambar to have a legal and competent maintenance company, who can force me to pay - and somebody I can force to do the job!

We all know that Edenorte is doing whatever they want - and the thing about “signing a paper” is properly just to gain time.. Or maybe they are really not cleverer than that…
I just wanted to point out, that - according to my humble opinion - it is not recommendable to allow these people into your home to check around. Not because I have anything to hide, but because I don’t want “strangers” to check my home.. You never know if they loose their job next week and suddenly remember the nice TV in your home (or whatever) and break into your house.
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gymbar




Posts : 142
Join date : 2009-09-08

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PostSubject: Re: APC Notice / Light / Fees   APC Notice / Light / Fees Icon_minitimeSun Feb 13, 2011 10:23 pm

Annette

I just want to address a few points here since I was at the meeting - & I'm one of the more skeptical people in town lol

"Edeidiote"

If they can provide 24 hour power I will be amazed, but if they're offering it in exchange for a signature on a piece of paper we might as well humour them.

APC/Puerto Plata City

If city hall believes they can enforce this on our behalf let them do it. Worst case scenario more people pay & Costambar receives a welcome injection of cash for maintenance. If this is illegal, it's the city who broke the law not APC. It's a win-win situation for Costambar!

Let's see how this all plays out before we start being negative about the whole situation.

We may all benefit ....
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Anette K.N.




Posts : 147
Join date : 2009-04-23

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PostSubject: Re: APC Notice / Light / Fees   APC Notice / Light / Fees Icon_minitimeTue Feb 08, 2011 11:50 pm


This is my opinion to the previous post:
--------------------------------------


There are a few points in the last mail we received from Rafael that - to my humble opinion - do not make much sense.

I am not blaming anybody and I don’t have any intention to pick at anybody at all - however I am confused and things are getting a little weird I believe!

Edenorte: We were informed that Edenorte has checked 200 homes and found that 30% were stealing the electricity. That means that 60 houses were stealing the light??

60 houses are a lot of houses - actually several streets!

Did Edenorte make a list of these people? Did they cut the electricity at these 60 houses?

I ask these questions, because by cutting the light at 60 houses, we don’t need to sign for anything actually and they could provide us with light 24 hours (I mean, if it is so easy to find the thieves…) It is very easy for Edenorte to cut the light.. Just try to forget to pay your bill and ONE day after the final payday they cut your light, without any commentary or notice..

Why would we sign a paper saying that we will not steal light in the future; that we will let Edenorte check the installations and we will pay 3 months of electricity if found guilty stealing the light??? We all signed for that when we made the contract!! The rules are written at the back of every single bill!!! It does not make any sense to me.

If - by signing this paper - I have to let the people from Edenorte INSIDE my house I will definitely not sign any paper.. They have nothing to do INSIDE our homes and electricity cannot be stolen from INSIDE our homes… They can check everything right outside our properties and they have no need to come into our homes (Sorry, but I don’t trust people I don’t know to look around inside my home - you never know!)



APC fees.

I have to ask a few questions: Since when is City Hall the legal authority , even to take legal actions against people not paying MAINTENANCE fee in a PRIVATE project?? Since when is City Hall the legal institution to decide, who is in charge of MAINTENANCE in a private project??

(It is not about, what we would like to be right, but about being right!)

I fully understand that City Hall might be the authority in charge of the GARBAGE pick up, because as far as I know, there is a kind of resolution or presidential order, that gives City Hall the right to decide over the GARBAGE.. So far so good!

However GARBAGE pick up is not the same as MAINTENANCE ( light, security, street cleaning etc.)..

If Costambar is a private community , City Hall can ONLY decide over GARBAGE pick up. If Costambar is a public area - like Torre Alta, Bayardo and similar, then the maintenance of street lights, street cleaning etc. is paid over the taxes we all pay for our homes..

Something is wrong here!

Furthermore APC would need more than 500 property owners to sign an agreement with APC - in order for APC to be a legal authority inside Costambar. (counting a total of 1000 properties inside Costambar) - and everybody must be asked and properly informed.

City Hall can force every citizen to pay for the garbage pick up and that means the price that everybody pay in general for that service and not the total maintenance fee APC expects us to pay in Costambar.

The letter, that APC delivered to the homes in Costambar is - according to my opinion - misleading !

(And not clear - what does 4XArea means? Is it 4 pesos per square meter? Which makes 2700 pesos for a house?)

And to the people involved: Please, don’t take this as a personal attack. I am only trying to understand - and so far I really don’t!

I will post this letter on the forum too, because everybody in Costambar should be able to catch up on important news. I will also copy the information given about these two issues on the forum - I hope it is okay..

Kind Regards

Anette Krogh Nielsen



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Anette K.N.




Posts : 147
Join date : 2009-04-23

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PostSubject: APC Notice / Light / Fees   APC Notice / Light / Fees Icon_minitimeTue Feb 08, 2011 10:05 pm

We received a letter in our mail boxes from APC saying “Important Notice”.
Furthermore some of us received an information from the general meeting, which I copy here:

- APC's 2011 Annual Assembly is now history. Overall, it was a well attended and run gathering, where a great deal of new information was disseminated. The most important issue centered around the new contract APC has negotiated with the PP City Hall, which basically states APC is not only obligated to pick up every body's garbage in Costambar (irrespective of whether they pay or not), but it is also the only entity or individual allowed to do so and dispose of it at the municipal landfill. Gone are the days individuals or other entities could take it upon themselves to haul their own (and other people's) garbage out of the project. Furthermore, the contract states all proprietors are obligated to pay monthly maintenance dues to APC and those failing to do so after the 15th. of the month, will be turned over to the PP City Hall Legal Dept. for further legal action, assessment of legal fees and possible lien against their properties. Considering the amount most of us pay for maintenance here, ask yourselves if it is worth not paying and going through all that hassle with City Hall.
The APC Board is looking forward to the day all pay so that it has the funds to do what needs to be done in Costambar and make it the place we all want it to be.
Another important issue was that of EDENORTE's report that after examining some 200 separate clients connections in Costambar, 30% of them have been stealing electrical energy !! As a result, the company has made an offer to Costambar, of supplying power 24 hours a day within 3 months, as long as residents sign a 3 points pledge to: a) not steal electrical energy in the future, b) allow EDENORTE personnel to inspect your connection(s) and c) pay a sum equal to 3 months electrical supply, if found guilty of stealing power.
APC recommends that every person in Costambar sign such a pledge and thus receive the benefit of continuous power. You will be notified as soon as the APC office has such pledges ready for your signature.
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