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Utilities in Loreto and La Paz,
Baja California Sur, Mexico
Electricity and Propane Gas Utilities.
Loreto Electricity. Utilities in Mexico are similar to utilities in the USA. For instance, electricity in Loreto, is supplied in above-ground electricity lines provided by the city to all homes in town and close to town. It is relatively cheap. The cost of Loreto electricity is the same as in La Paz below. The occasion of black outs is much less than even ten years ago, but you do get black outs, mostly just a few hours, sometimes longer. Black outs can happen at any time of year, but not to worry, it's very tolerable and not that frequent at all. The current is 110 volts so that Americans can bring their appliances, lap tops, cell phone chargers, radios, etc., and plug your stuff right in the sockets. It used to be that the sockets were different, but they are now the same as in the USA. Older construction (and most of Loreto construction is older) usually has only the two prong non-grounded plugs, however.
La Paz Electricity. Electricity in La Paz is 110 volts with normal plug receptacles here too. City electicity lines are found everywhere in La Paz, including suburbs 10 miles away from downtown La Paz. At my house (about 4 miles from downtown La Paz), I turn on three security security lights outside every night from dusk to dawn when I am not there and my monthly bill is about $6 US. When I am there, I use the television and lights and the air conditioning and the electricity bill seldom goes over $20 per month. There used to be intermittant black outs for hours, sometimes days, but these days, that's down to hardly a noticeable minimum. When it rains hard, however, there can be black outs for 1/2 a day to 2 days. That's why I feel it is wise to use propane gas for the stove and the hot water heater. I would consider the electrical utility in La Paz very good and reliable.
Loreto Propane Gas. Propane in Loreto is very reasonable. You can have an electric stove, electric heater, and electric water heater if you want, but most people stick with propane gas. It's cheap in Baja Mexico. Neither propane nor natural gas are plumbed to your house, you must buy propane in 30 liter cylinder tanks (you have to pay for the first tank container and then you just trade your empty tank for a filled one and pay for the propane only – trucks with these filled tanks come around frequently). Or, you can have a large tank installed on your property, have it plumbed to your stove and water heater, and call for the local propane gas company to come to fill it up for you periodically. The cost for propane is about $2.20 US per gallon as of this writing (2008). Utilities in Baja are cheaper than in the USA, in general.
La Paz Propane Gas. Propane in La Paz is the same as in Loreto. For the most part, utilities in general are the same in both cities. Ofcourse, where you get them and when they are delivered may be different. La Paz is a much bigger city with more infrastructure and more vendors. Things happer with more regularity in La Paz and availability is better. Also, keep in mind that La Paz is a little warmer than Loreto. Your hot water heater will not have to work as much as in Loreto. Propane gas for heating is not a material factor. Actually, I have minisplit air conditioners that also act as heaters, so I don't use any gas at all for heating. Not that living in either town requires much heating.
In the Baja, it is hot for six months (80°F to 100°F), warm for 3 months (70°F to 80°F), moderate for two months (60°F to 75°F) and maybe, only cool for one month out of the year (55°F to 70°F). Heating utilities cost is low to non-existant. For two to four people, you will use about 0.1 gallons propane per day during the hot to warm months, about 0.15 gallons per day in the cooler months. One of the reasons for the slim usage is due to the small 15 gallon water heaters. Trust me, for two to four people, that is all that you will need. The legal secretary at my attorney’s office says that her family of four pays about $32 US every 2-1/2 months for propane. Actually, I use less than what I just wrote because I turn my water heater on for only one half hour a day, the rest of the day, the pilot light keeps the water warm for 24 hours. I get two showers anytime I want and there is always hot water for the sinks and for washing dishes. Cooking hardly uses any gas. Actually, I barbecue for every dinner or I eat out (mostly barbecue – I use mesquite wood for the barbecue, it is everywhere and grows wild). TOP
Water and Sewer Utilities in Loreto and La Paz.
Drinking Water in Baja. Don’t drink the water from any faucet. There are a few certain resorts that have running potable water, however. Other than that, don’t drink faucet water. Buy bottled water. If you have a house or condo in the Baja, pay $5 to $8 for a one-time deposit on a 5 gallon jug and then buy a filled 5 gallon jug for about $1.50 US, otherwise you will have to pay $1.50 US for each separate gallon of bottled water. Your standard of living will not suffer.
Plumbed Water in Loreto and La Paz. Water is provided by city underground piped sources to most all homes in Loreto and La Paz. This water is not drinkable, but it is good for washing clothes, bathing, flushing toilets, making cement, washing cars and driveways, and yard irrigation. However, many homes that are just outside of town in Loreto, or ten miles from downtown La Paz, you may have to install a big water tank in your property and have water trucked in to have it filled. Then you will need to install a water pump to get water pressure to "push" the water to supply your house. Not too bad an arrangement, many, many people do it that way that don't have city underground water.
Water Pressure in Loreto and La Paz. Even if you have under-ground piped-in water, you may have a problem with water pressure and constant supply of water. Most people have a plastic tank installed on the roof and plumbed from the street source to the roof tank and also then gravity plumbed from the roof tank to all the faucets and toilets in the house. The water pressure is simply by gravity. In La Paz, for instance, water is "pushed" to houses on a schedule. For instance, my La Paz house gets "pushed" water every other day from 4:00pm to 9:00 pm. That frequency and the water pressure during the "push" periods are usually adequate to push enough water up to my tank to keep my tank full enough to handle my level of water consumption. Side point, the water spigots out side the house are supplied not from the roof top tank, but directly from the underground source. That way I don't run the risk of depleting my house water that is in the roof top tank. Since the outside spigots are at ground level, during the push period, the pressure is adequate for irrigating the yard.
Bigger Tank, Get a Pump. In case the frequency and/or the water pressure is insufficient for a given household's consumption due to inadequate pressure to go up to the roof top tank or simply the consumption is always depleting the tank before it can refill, or both, then there is a remedy. Have a neumatic pump installed under ground to grab and push the water during the push periods to the tank and install a bigger tank and/or more tanks.
City Underground Water and Sewer. If you are interested in getting a house in Baja, I highly encourage you to acquire property where there is underground piped-in running water service and underground sewer service. The lots offered in this website have underground water and sewer. That is a very good thing. If you do not have underground sewer service, then you will need to have a septic tank installed. My neighbor has had a septic tank for over twenty years that he built himself. It works perfectly, never had a problem. Underground sewer service is a one time hook up fee. That’s it. Again, your standard of living will not be compromised.
Cost of Water and Sewer to your house from the city underground service is cheap. You are billed monthly. The bills for a small two bedroom house run from $7 to $15 per month depending on your usage. Utilities cost for water and sewer are cheap.
Utilities in La Paz and Loreto are sound, relatively reliable, plentiful, cheap, and readily available.