Managing the Electricity Supply at Your Home in Mexico

When you’re living in Mexico and renting a house longer term or when you own a home here, you’ll need to get connected to and manage your property’s electricity supply.

This article describes how electricity is supplied to homes in Mexico, how to plan for electric power cuts, how to find current electricity prices, and how to pay your electricity bill.

Electricity supply to homes in Mexico

All electricity in Mexico is supplied by CFE, a colossal state-owned electric company. Rates for domestic electricity are set by the government and include subsidies for homes that conserve energy as well as seasonal subsidies for homes in regions with very hot summers or cold winters. (See the section below for prices and bills.)

Electricity voltage in Mexico

Electricity to homes in Mexico is delivered at 120-140 volts at a frequency of 60Hz.  If you require a 220-240 volts circuit (for example, for certain types of air conditioning units, electric ovens, or high-end induction hobs), you will need to ask the electric company to supply you with a “bifase” circuit and have an electrician undertake the special wiring for you inside your home.

Electricity plugs and sockets in Mexico

Electric plugs (clavijas) and sockets (enchufes) are type A and/or B—identical to those used in the USA.

The older Type A socket plugs have flat pins whereas the newer plugs have a notch on one side and might also have a third (earth) pin that prevents them from being plugged in to an older Type A plug socket unless you use an adapter.

Older Type A sockets have two identical sized pin inlets that will accommodate all older Type A plug pins without an adapter; Type B sockets have a wider pin inlet on one side, allowing Type B plugs (with a notch) to be inserted, and they also have a third (earth) pin inlet to accommodate Type B plugs with three-pins.

All modern homes in Mexico have the newer Type B 3-pin plugs, but there are still many older properties that have the old two-pin plug that will not accommodate newer plugs, or plugs with three pins, unless you use an adapter.

Reliability of electric supply

Mexico’s electricity power grid has been undergoing a continual upgrade in recent years, making electricity supply here more reliable than it ever has been.

Most of Mexico’s electricity supply is delivered by overhead cables. Overhead cables are more susceptible to the elements and this affects the reliability of the supply, especially during the rain and wind storms.

Some towns and cities are beginning to create underground ducts for cabling; new developments are often designed with underground cable ducts now, but it will be decades —if not longer— before Mexico’s electricity system is principally delivered by means of underground ducting.

Power outages which were frequent a decade or more ago —and could last for days in some cases— are far less frequent now and, when they do happen, the outages tend to be quite short or temporary in nature.

How frequent and severe the outages depend principally on local factors. Different neighborhoods tend to have different ‘patterns’ of outages; and ‘good’ neighborhoods can suddenly begin to experience frequent outages for no apparent reason. Rural areas tend to experience more power outages than urban areas.

Old or failing local transformers (the ones you see strapped to lamp posts) are the principal culprits of localized power outages in Mexico, and the electric company has been working hard to replace these with newer and more reliable transformers.

In areas subject to the rainy season (May/June through October/November) power outages tend to be more frequent as heavy rains, wind, and lightning affect the transformers and electricity sub-stations.

Another issue to be mindful of is the fluctuation of voltage, so it’s prudent to protect sensitive equipment (for example, computers, high-fidelity electrical appliances) with power-surge protection boxes if you notice that the voltage fluctuates a lot in your area (light bulbs are a key indicator).

If you live in an area that is susceptible to tropical storms and hurricanes, keep in mind that electricity supplies might be affected, perhaps for days or longer, after a storm or hurricane.

See also: Dealing with electrical power cuts in Mexico

Uninterrupted Power Supplies (UPS)

If you have electrical equipment that is critical to your work or well-being, an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS – wiki) can be installed in your home.

There are many types of UPS systems on the market, and you will need to do some research to decide which one is best for your specific needs.  Essentially there are two types: battery powered UPS and fuel-powered UPS.

• If you want to keep low-voltage appliances (e.g., WiFi modems, computer monitors, and computers) running during regular outages which may last from a few minutes to a few hours then a battery-backup system will probably work for you.
• If you must keep high-power appliances (e.g. refrigerators) running continuously, or lower power appliances running for long periods, then you will need a fuel-powered (e.g., diesel) generator on your property.

Battery backup units (Amazon Mexico) are affordable and easy to install and use as you simply plug your critical appliances into the unit, which contains a large battery.  When there is power, the unit charges its battery and passes electricity to your appliances directly. When there’s a power cut, the unit’s circuitry detects this and feeds electricity to your appliances from its battery power.

Fuel-based generators come in many sizes and research is required to determine which one is right for your circumstances.

Electricity prices and bills in Mexico

Prices for electricity in Mexico are set by the government and vary each month.  Also, the more electricity you use, the higher your rate is per kwH consumed.  This is done to help low-income families and to encourage users generally to conserve energy, by penalizing higher energy consumers and rewarding lower energy consumers with generous subsidies.

Current electricity prices in Mexico

You can get the current and historical rates from this page on the CFE’s website (Spanish).  Choose the “Domesticas – 1” option for residential electricity prices.

Seasonal electricity subsidies

Subsidies are applied in some northern cities and some southern cities in summer when air conditioning/heating uses rise. The subsidies apply from April to October in the south, and May to November in the north.

Electricity meters

All properties have electricity meters, usually visible to the street, so that the electric company’s representative can visit and read the meter for each bill. Mexico is gradually changing-out old-style analog meters to new-style electronic meters which are digital and can be read and controlled remotely.

Electricity bills in Mexico

Electricity bills in Mexico are dispatched every two months.

CFE workers deliver electricity bills in paper format by hand to homes across Mexico.  You can use the CFE’s smartphone app to pause paper bills and have digital/electronic bills only (the app will alert you when there’s a bill waiting to be paid), although many people still prefer to receive paper bills as these can be used as proof of address for official purposes, for example, at the immigration office.

Paying your electricity bill

There are several convenient ways to pay your electricity bill provided you pay by the “due date” printed on the bill.

If you are paying your bill after the “due” date printed on the bill, you must go to the local electricity office that deals with your property and pay directly there—you cannot pay using the methods described in the list below.

Convenient ways to pay your electricity bill (before the due date) are:

• At any CFE automated teller.
• Through the CFE app if you have a Mexican bank account/card.
• Via online banking if you have a Mexican bank account.
• In cash at one of Mexico’s local convenience stores.  Take the paper bill with you to scan the barcode, or show them the PDF bill you can download from your CFE smartphone app. A small service fee is added if you pay this way.
• You can make a line at at retail bank and pay there, but we don’t recommend this as lines at banks tend to be long, especially near paydays.

Late payments

The electric company is very efficient at sending out technicians to cut your supply off if you are late in payment. If your property has a new-style electronic meter, your service can be cut-off remotely, without the need for a technician to visit the property.

Getting reconnected if you’re cut-off

The new-style electronic meters provide a means for the electricity company to cut you off remotely if your bill is not paid on time and it also means that once you settle your outstanding bill, the service can return almost immediately. (Similar to the telephone.)

If your property still has an old-style analog meter a technician must visit to cut-off and visit again to restore the supply.

If you are cut-off, you will need to visit the local electricity office that deals with your property and request a reconnection—a procedure that carries a penalty fee in addition to any outstanding debts on the bill.  Once payment is made, a technician (if required) will be scheduled-in to revisit your home and reconnect your electricity supply.

Taking care of your home in Mexico

Mexperience publishes guides and articles to help you maintain and secure your house, home, and dwelling spaces in Mexico.

• Dealing with electrical power cuts in Mexico
• Electricity company website (CFE)
• Insurance for your home in Mexico
• Latest insights about taking care of your home in Mexico