How long should you wait for the electric company service? The repair of the power grids in the capital continues briskly. René Tamayo internac@juventudrebelde.cu October 22, 2014 22:55:19 CDT If you apply at the offices of the municipal electric company for a new service or an increase in capacity --for instance, a change of the 110v line to 220v -- or request to move the power inlet at your home from one place to another, the "company" must give you that service within five days. No more. If it takes six days you must complain and protest. And if anyone wants to charge you for "a little help" to "speed up things" don´t do so. Also remember that, except for the change in location of the power inlet to the house, which costs six pesos, all other services are free. Managers and specialists of the Electric Company of Havana insisted repeatedly on this "issue" during a meeting yesterday with the provincial and national press. Pay attention. Do not let anyone fool you. Replacement of appliances damaged by service-related problems is being monitored daily, the National Electric Union (UNE) management reported. In the capital, 60% of equipment and appliances damaged until late September have been replaced. There are major delays with computers, laptops, backups, fans and cordless phones, due to supply shortages. Efforts are being made to solve this. As for refrigerators --a first class necessity for all families-- more than 145 have been replaced. On October 21, the company had less than 15 still pending. During the press briefing, officials of UNE in the capital also underscored electricity frauds. According to the technicians, power losses in the capital are around 17 percent; largely because of indiscipline and illegalities committed by both the population and by the (state) non-residential sector. To confront these frauds, Havana is being supported by inspectors from other provinces, in addition to their own. This is in addition to the work that the electricty bill collectors must carry out. Between 300 and 400 electrical frauds were detected, which is not only a high number, but also quite harmful. Most of those who commit these illegalities are large consumers of electricity. More and better light 26 percent of the electricity consumed in the country is in the capital; so the repair of powergrids in the province continues briskly, as specialists and managers of the UNE reported. So far this year, these repairs have reduced energy losses, with the resulting economic benefits and hard currency savings. These have also improved the efficiency and quality of the service to all consumers. Eight contingents made up by 43 brigades of electrical workers, both local and from other territories, have been assigned to work on large projects, and also to eliminate the problems raised by the community in the assemblies of People's Power, said engineer Leopoldo Ibanez, a networks and systems specialist. Works are also being carried out in the maintenance and refurbishment of street lighting on major roads in the city. There is systematic work on solving incidents that occur in the municipalities, each of which now has a specialized team for that purpose. Our goal is –they said-- to resolve any complaint within 24 hours at most. A "commercial" note: the city’s electric company used the meeting with the press to emphasize the need for qualified personnel, especially electrical engineers, economists and automated systems specialists. Davo davo - October 23, 2014 2:42:14 CDT Find in this newspaper “Adjusting the delay or delaying the adjustment?" Balance between theory and practice: which way is the balance actually leaning to? montalvan - October 23, 2014 4:39:54 CDT Kudos to the capital’s electric company! What we need is to extend the experience to the city of Camaguey (specifically to the La Nueva Esperanza neighborhood, Calle 7, reaching the southern ring), which is an area of low voltage and for 17 years has had no solution, despite repeated efforts of the people who live there. Inconveniences, risk of electric shocks, ruined appliances or impossibility of using them (the appliances of the energy revolution were never delivered), no relationship between actual energy consumption and the electric bill (a person with an energy saving bulb at home had to pay a 20 peso monthly bill), vulnerability to any weather event causing power line failures. Nothing, we’ll have to wait three more years to reach 20. Gardel said it: "20 years is nothing." Greetings, Adelmo Montalvan. fernando lopez - October 23, 2014 5:59:55 CDT In my view, electrical frauds very often occur often in connivance with the employees of the Electric Company themselves. Those who profit from stolen electricity are of course the major consumers, who have several air conditioners, other equipment such as freezers, fryers, electric ovens. Surely no one who has one air conditioner and few electrical appliances "gets mixed up in this adventure." I know that many times electricity gets stolen because the Electric Company refuses to make a contract when house ownership is not clear, and this happens a lot especially in the countryside. In my opinion, most of the electrical frauds are done in cahoots with someone. Those who are responsible of managing this company and get paid for it --whatever the amount, but paid indeed-- are the ones who must investigate. Roberto - October 23, 2014 7:15:44 CDT I wish to communicate that in Guanabacoa’s Reparto Chibás systematic blackouts occur that cause extensive damage to appliances, a situation that increases every day with numerous cases of broken equipment. I always thought that the crazy excessive prices applied to the electric service would imply a higher quality, not only the elimination of blackouts – still not resolved-- but more stability that would prevent those second-long brownouts that destroy appliances. Also that this serious and unsolved technical deficiency might be mitigated with the introduction of voltage regulators, but these only serve the purpose of collecting taxes and not as a means of mitigating the critical quality of the voltage. It shows – once more – the divorce between UNE and SIME or those who manufacture and supply those regulators. The essence is in that they should get together at the top to offer alternative prices until UNE can give a response to the voltage stability in certain areas, because this critical situation does not affect all of Havana. In this neighborhood this happens together with the frequent lack of street lighting on all roads and especially many sections of First Avenue. Reinier - October 23, 2014 8:26:16 CDT I know of several cases of people who have requested the service extension to 220V at the commercial offices in Santiago de Cuba and they have been asked to show proof of ownership of the 220V equipment they have in their houses. I wonder if this is an established procedure or is simply an obstruction for not doing the job. The 5 day waiting period is a fiction because it takes up to one year to get that service. jpuentes - October 23, 2014 9:06:49 CDT They are improving the matter of time frame for customer care. I applied for the 220 and got it quickly, just as promised. The replacement process continues. Though it is not a subject for this forum, but some journalistic report is required on thes same issues in the GAS services. There are real problems there. sorom - October 23, 2014 10:10:18 CDT Listen reporter, please don’t get me wrong but the first paragraph of your paper is very far from reality. It really hurts to read it knowing that the truth is totally different, the raw and corrupt truth, the one we face when we come back from a mission and we go to buy an air conditioner with our savings and we need 220v service. That’s when the economic odyssey begins. MSc. Juan R. Hernández R. - October 23, 2014 10:21:25 CDT In the area of Calle 250 and 37 in Reparto San Agustin. La Lisa Municipality, Havana, the electric grids were laid out in 1970 for the housing development projects, service centers and homes that already existed.. Much later the homes for the Family Physicians were built. While some these are vacant !!!, in spite of the housing shortage that exists in Cuba, some have been given over to families, which was not in the original plan. Then came the wanton appearance of the little "garages" here and there and now there are over100 such garages only in that area, that distort the urban planning, public ornament and create environmental problems. But furthermore, inside many of those little garages small workshops have been set up: car body repairs, mechanics, carpentry, etc. etc. Which use power tools and at least one light bulb, which no matter how energy saving they might be they were also not in the Plan. The result is that when anumber of these equipments run at the same time, the breaker trips and sometimes even transformers are ruined; I’m not sure if by this overload, but it is possible. And nobody sees anything! No authority acts! Then why so many inspectors? I agree with Fernando López; behind an ilegal “clothesline” it is very likely to find a lineman or at least a meter-reader, a collector and an inspector, who see nothing and hear nothing. Greetings JRH maxy - October 23, 2014 11:15:34 CDT René: it is a secret to mention the names of managers and specialists. It’s all beating about the bush. With names you can tell the swindler your boss so and so told this to reporters on such date or your specialist said. We are still in the same situation: secrecy that is killings us. Now I tend to think that there was no such director or such specialist. Thank you. |
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