by Rod Hughes

Do you live in the metropolitan area? Then chances are, you’re paying too much for your electricity. The newspaper La Nacion reported today that some 65,000 families are and that only about 5,000 residences really are taking advantage of a simple tactic to save as much as 20% on their power bills.

The tactic: try to conserve use of electricity during the peak hours of from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. That is when electric rates are highest:72 colones per kilowat/hour. Contrast that with 29 colones kw/h in the intermediate hours and if you are a nightowl, you pay even less. 13 colones.

Naturally, this is only the base price. A surcharge comes with increased consumption so lavish use of power at any time is unwise. If one watches consumption during peak hours, studies how that on an average a family can shave 10,000 colones from his bill no matter how brightly his house glows at night.