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Change in CFE billing?


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There are mechanical and electronic meters ... that's all. No solar meters. Most new meters will be electronic, 220 will be electronic and solar upgrades should include electronic

This is incorrect. It takes a special different digital meter from CFE to credit solar-generated power against the household's electricity usage. Ordinary CFE digital meters do not handle solar system additions well.

If you install a solar system and connect it to an existing CFE digital meter, the system does not work right under some common circumstances. A friend did this, installing ten 100W panels on his roof, (1 kW), and connected it to his household electricity system with a grid-tied inverter.

When the sun was shining AND the home was using more electricity than the solar panels generated, then the CFE meter worked fine. He then went on a 3 week trip, expecting his solar system to slowly whittle down that 2-month's bill. When the bill came, he owed $3,000 pesos. His previous months bills had been in the $70 - $700 peso range.

This proves that CFE's policy on changing to new meter designed specifically for solar systems: It takes a special digital meter to handle solar panels pushing current backwards (upstream) onto the CFE grid.

Technology can be confusing - and counter intuitive - so, check with an expert before following internet advice.

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The bill you can print from the CFE website now has the barcode and is suitable for payment. I've paid at Walmart and BancoMultiva, neither charges a service fee. The old meters work fine with solar, they simply run backwards when the system is producing excess power. The new digital meter is simply easier to read. I have two digital meters; one for my house which has solar, one for my casita which does not.

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Guest bennie2

what if someone doesnt have a printer/ computer skills/ computer, old & cant see? are you saying the 2 alternatives are to use online or trip to electric comp?

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Good info SNOWYCO however when you choose a date for your meter reading and you have the opportunity to travel and not be around for your card scan and return home a month later late at night to discover no electric then it is a couple of days, based on CFE connection schedule, to have power restored. I don't even trust the bank as they recently overlooked paying our bill when we were out of the country and the above mentioned scenario is what took place..Soooo now we pay an estimated 5-6 months in advance at CFE and monitor our bi-monthly charges to determine our balance every other month to insure that we have a sufficient credit balance and add more as necessary. Best part so far it requires essentially NO

human CFE interaction as we only use the payment machine outside and it prints a receipt showing our deposit..Hopefully this method will continue..

This NEW and "Improved" meter reading and payment system is a sad joke.Truly Unbelievable that any group of sane people could conjure up such lunacy without being an absolute monopoly..

Be aware that the receipt that spits out of the CFE payment machines is printed with the notorious disappearing ink. If you want proof of payment, photocopy the receipt immediately, as the receipt will be virtually blank within a month, even if kept in a drawer.

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I just got an alert from one of my Mexican friends about the new CFE card; the very small print says that the first bill you pay is for the electricity used AS WELL AS one month's estimate in advance. The amount each month also includes life and assistance insurance with the first two months being free. If you don't cancel this insurance within the first two months, you are stuck paying for it forever.

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No, you can pay your CFE bill at any bank, Walmart, and OXXO, Soriana, and many other places.

You can only pay at these other places if you have a bill with a bar code. If not, you HAVE to go to the CFE office. With the new electronic card, you MUST pay at the CFE office.

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To opt out we need the letter explaining our reasons, the SMART card and a voter ID card?(IFE)

I have been voting here for over 4 years and have never had a voter's card. What is that and how does one get one?

I am going to guess that if you don't have an IFE card, then you are not a Mexican citizen. Only Mexican citizen adults are allowed to get one. The El Horizonte article described the procedures for Mexicans, which means using their best form of government ID. I would expect that you would submit your best form of government issued ID: your passport.

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