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Electrical bulletin: What is it, how much does it cost and what do you need the CIE for?
Although many people do not know it, electrical installations in homes have a document that ensures that everything is in order. This is the electricity bulletin or Certificate of Electrical Installation (CIE). We explain what it is, when you will need it, how it is obtained and how much it costs.
Having a certified electrical installation that meets all the points marked by the regulations is essential. All this is reflected in the electrical bulletin or CIE.
This bulletin lists all the features of the installation: such as what power is installed and the maximum power that the installation can take in the event of future changes. It must also have show the distribution of all the elements of the electrical installation in a diagram and map.
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What is the electrical bulletin or CIE
The electric bulletin is a mandatory document in all homes, both new construction and second-hand. It certifies that the electrical installation is in good condition and meets all technical requirements.
Like other checks, it is an essential system to ensure that electrical installations do not pose any danger and are completely safe.
When and why do you need an electrical bulletin?
Normally the distribution company that will order the bulletin through the supplier (for example, through Endesa). Remember that the supplier is the company with which you have your electricity contract and is who issues your bills. The distributor on the other hand is the company that deals with the supply, the meters, faults, etc.
When do we need the bulletin? These are the 4 most frequent situations in which you will need the CIE:
- A new electricity contract: For example, if you move into a new build house, you will need to provide the electricity bulletin as part of the documentation. Here we explain what to do with your electricity when you move home.
- Contracting more power: If you need more power, you can only increase it to the maximum limit certified on your electricity bulletin. If you need more, you will need a new CIE certifying that it is safe to reach that value.
- Your bulletin was issued more than 20 years ago and you need to make a change to your contract: although the electrical bulletin does not expire, it may be necessary to review it if these two circumstances occur at the same time (that more than 20 years have passed and you request some changes in your contract). Therefore, when buying a second-hand home it is important that the seller provides you with the electricity bulletin or CIE.
- Technical modifications: This is when you want to change your installation from single-phase to three-phase, or in the case of commercial use if there has been a change in the economic activity.
“The CIE is the document that certifies that your electrical installation is in good condition.”
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How can I get a CIE?
There are several ways to get the electricity bulletin or CIE, and they usually fall under these two situations:
- New electrical installations: When the electrical installation of a house is changed, the authorised installer will sign the new bulletin. This is the person who presents it to the competent power agency of the Autonomous Community where the installation is located, which is who approves it. Once the new installation has been approved by the competent organisation, you will receive your electricity bulletin within a few days.
- Electrical installations older than 20 years: as we saw before, depending on the changes you request in the contract, it may be necessary for your installation to pass a review, even if nothing has been changed. In this case, a new bulletin can be issued certifying an old installation.
There are not normally any serious problems and the check is completed in less than half an hour. The document must then be registered with the official organisation, which should not take more than a week.
Problems when obtaining the electricity bulletin
If the technician fails to complete the review or finds an anomaly, the issuance of your electricity bulletin may be delayed.
The official organisation may also issue a non-favourable opinion. These are rare situations where major changes are requested in the installation to ensure its safety.
By signing the document, the installer is responsible for the correct functioning of the installation, so they will advise you on any changes that need to be made for the electricity bulletin to be approved.
“Once the bulletin is approved, it is assigned a file number that identifies your installation in the registry.”
What information does it include?
For your Electrical Installation Certificate to be completely valid, it must include the following information:
- Contract holder's information.
- Address of the property.
- Characteristics of the installation: use (domestic, office, hotel...), surface area, maximum permissible power, voltage, information about the General Power Line (LGA), data of the individual derivation, meters and information about the protections.
- Distributor.
- Authorised installation company.
- Verification measurements.
Of all the data included in the electricity bulletin, the most useful for future changes is that of the maximum permissible power (within the characteristics of the installation). The supply you contract may not exceed this value of kW. In short, this is the maximum limit of electrical power that your installation can withstand and still be safe.
Remember that a higher contracted power will increase the fixed component of your bill, although you'll also be able to turn on more appliances at the same time without blowing a fuse. If you want to find out the most suitable power for you, check out our electricity power calculator.
How much does it cost to get a CIE?
The price of an electricity bulletin or CIE usually ranges from 70-80 euros to around 300 euros, although the most common average price is between 100-150 euros.
Keep in mind that the electricity bulletin does not have a fixed price. It will essentially depend on the characteristics of the electrical installation, but also on the installer who performs it and even on the Autonomous Community where the installation is located.
In the case of new electrical installations, the cost of the electricity bulletin or CIE is included in the quote you are given for the entire project.
In the case of an installation that is more than 20 years old, the installer is free to charge whatever they want. Since there are big differences between professionals, we recommend that you look at several options before choosing one.
A big advantage in the latter case is that there are a large number of official installers who can issue the electricity bulletin. This allows you to choose the one with a better price or that gives you greater confidence.
“The price of the bulletin depends on several factors and usually costs between 60 and 300 euros.”
Deadlines of the electricity bulletin
There are different deadlines from the time you request it to the time it is accepted by the electricity company:
- Issuance by the electrician or authorised installation company. In this case, there is no deadline, but it usually takes a few days.
- Approval in your autonomous community: There is also no deadline by which the competent authority within each autonomous community must reply, although these are usually fairly quick procedures.
- Acceptance by the distributor: The distributor does have a deadline to accept or reject the electricity bulletin. In this case, the maximum response period is 7 days.
- Validity period: Although the validity period of the electricity bulletin or CIE is 20 years, this does not mean that it has to be renewed after this period since the bulletin does not expire. However, it must be updated if any changes are made to the installation.
The blue bulletin or BRIE
The blue bulletin or BRIE is a complement to the electricity bulletin and is only necessary for electrical installations within Catalonia. It is a complement to the CIE that the distributor will ask you for when you want to carry out a series of procedures.
Unlike the CIE, the blue bulletin expires every 6 months and is intended to support simple modifications made to the electrical installation.
Both the electricity bulletin or CIE and the blue bulletin or BRIE are documents intended to guarantee the safety of electrical installations and to avoid problems of over voltage or short circuits at any point of the electrical supply.
In short, the electricity bulletin and the blue bulletin certify that the electrical installation is in ideal circumstances for the supply.
Given the mandatory nature of these certificates, it has been possible to greatly improve the safety of installations throughout the country and prevent there being supply points with powers greater than they are able to withstand.
“They are essential tools to be able to continue using electricity with total safety.
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You don't need to adapt to Endesa's tariffs because they adapt to you. If you go to our catalogue you can compare the different tariffs for yourself. Or if you prefer, you can answer a few questions and we will take care of comparing all the different electricity and gas tariffs and then make a customised recommendation.
Comparison of Electricity and Gas Tariffs
You don't need to adapt to Endesa's tariffs because they adapt to you. If you go to our catalogue you can compare the different tariffs for yourself. Or if you prefer, you can answer a few questions and we will take care of comparing all the different electricity and gas tariffs and then make a customised recommendation.
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