Spain launches this month of June a new electricity bill, which establishes Specifically, the cheapest price during the week is at dawn. Thus, there have been many who have considered doing the laundry or putting the dishwasher overnight. However, is that possible? Can the neighbors complain?
What time slots does the new electricity bill present?
Starting up different electrical appliances during the early morning is a logical reasoning, since the washing machine, the iron or the oven are the electrical appliances that consume the most. For this reason, it is worth remembering which are the time slots established by the new electricity bill, which only affects users in the regulated market.
– Valley Time. The cheapest. This section is between 00:00 and 08:00, when there is less demand, as well as during the 24 hours of the weekend.
– Plain Time. The average fee. Its section corresponds between 8:00 and 10:00, 14:00 and 18:00 and 22:00 and 00:00.
– Rush hour. The strip with the highest cost. Its schedule is from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Can I put the washing machine on at dawn to save on the electricity bill?
Although the intention is to save money and energy, this practice is not always possible, especially if you live in a community of neighbors. Thus, in addition to the time bands of the energy price, it is also necessary to take into account the sections in which more or less noise can be made.
The Mapfre insurer explains that in Spain the regulations that establish the maximum noise levels in the communities of owners are governed by the Technical Building Code, the Building Planning Law, the Horizontal Property Law, the Noise Law and Autonomous decrees or municipal Ordinances for the Protection of the Urban Environment.
Thus, although there is some municipal variability, in general terms the limit for daytime hours is 45 decibels and at night the limit is set at 35 decibels. The morning schedule is from one to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., if it is a weekend or a holiday, the hours are reduced, and you can only make noise from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.: 00 hours.
Having this clear, how much noise does a washing machine make? The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) explains that the noise level during the washing cycle is between 46 dBA, in the best of cases, and 57 dBA, in the worst. As for the spin, this can range between 58-70.5 dBA.
What to do if your neighbor’s washing machine bothers you a lot
These average figures vary according to the model of washing machine and the degree of insulation of the houses. However, if you have a neighbor who makes a lot of noise with electrical appliances such as the washing machine, what he should do is the following, according to Mapfre.
1. Talk to the neighbor who is bothering you to get him to stop his behavior. If after this, nothing has been achieved, talk to the president of the community who will have to warn the neighbor again.
2. The next step after this is to file a lawsuit after convening a neighborhood meeting in which said agenda is discussed. An ordinary trial will be reached and the judge will adopt the precautionary measures that he deems necessary to guarantee the end of the cause of the noise. These measures may be against the owner or the tenant of the home or business premises and may lead to the deprivation of the use of the house for a period of up to three years and even compensation for damages.
3. If the community of neighbors disregards this problem, the affected owner can appeal directly to the courts individually. In any case, it will be essential to have an acoustic measurement report to demonstrate that the noise level exceeds the maximum allowed.
Tip to save and avoid problems with the community: the weekend
The Minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, has not only defended the new electricity bill in recent hours, but has also given the main advice for saving energy and money: she has recalled that the cheapest prices are not only during the early morning, but also on weekends and holidays. Thus, the logical thing (and sometimes the most common) is that during these days you put on the washing machine, iron, put on the dishwasher or cook more with the oven.
Facebook Comments
Disqus