Picture: Sophon Cable TV

 

A provincial electricity meter expert in Pattaya explained why the weather and the habits of users were responsible for high bills in April.

 

Sophon Cable TV in Pattaya reported that the increase in electricity bills - as high as double for some people compared to previous months - were one of the hottest topics on Thai social media at the moment.

 

So they went to ask Phansa Matrathungkha if people were being ripped off.

 

No, said Phansa - it was mostly because of the high temperatures putting pressure on air-conditioners and fridges. 

 

He said that with many people at home in virtual lockdown due to the pandemic they were opening fridges too often. 

 

In addition with people more at home doing cooking fridges were packed with food making them need more electricity to keep it all cool. 

 

Sophon Cable TV

 

He said that by keeping air-con units to 26C and using fans to help circulate air at night bills could be kept lower. 

 

He advised people to do their own cleaning of air-con units once a month.

 

Much measures and cleaning out unwanted food from fridges could lower bills by 5-10%.

 

There was no question that electrical companies were overcharging, he said.

 

He noted that it was standard practice that the more electricity you use the higher the unit charge.

 

That was another reason why people's bills were so high in April.

 

The Thai government has already suggested a 10 billion baht package to help lower household bills in May and June, as reported by Thaivisa earlier. 

 

That and the expected cooler weather in Thailand may have the desired effect for people struggling to pay their bills. 

 

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2 minutes ago, webfact said:

cleaning out unwanted food from fridges could lower bills by 5-10%.

 

I thought the "conventional wisdom"  was to keep the fridge stuffed with as much as possible as it reduces the amount of new air having to be cooled each time the door is opened...obviously  it does take energy to cool the food down  but once cooled it will also act as a reverse heat sink keeping the inside cool.

6 minutes ago, webfact said:

do their own cleaning of air-con units once a month.

 

5555  I think he means to clean the removable filters once a month  as opposed to cleaning the evaporator and condenser units once a month which would be a bit of a "pain in the bum"   to say the least  especially doing it yourself !!!

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

In addition with people more at home doing cooking fridges were packed with food making them need more electricity to keep it all cool

What he is saying is the complete opposite of what i have been lead to believe over the years, keep fridge /freezer as full as possible to conserve electric.

So in my opinion Phansa is talking nonsense.

17 minutes ago, johng said:

 

I thought the "conventional wisdom"  was to keep the fridge stuffed with as much as possible as it reduces the amount of new air having to be cooled each time the door is opened...obviously  it does take energy to cool the food down  but once cooled it will also act as a reverse heat sink keeping the inside cool.

Top Tip:

 

Keep it full of beer!

 

 

28 minutes ago, webfact said:

He said that by keeping air-con units to 26C and using fans to help circulate air at night bills could be kept lower. 

 

Try 26C for half an hour with the fan circulating the air after you turn off the air conditioner, now if you don't have good insulation and sisolation, then your electricity bill is going to be high, because all your fan is going to be doing is circulating the hot air in the room when it heats up not long after you have switched off the air conditioner, and you will be turning your air conditioner back on again.

40 minutes ago, webfact said:

He noted that it was standard practice that the more electricity you use the higher the unit charge.

Only in Thailand that I know of.

Empty freezer is an energy waster

If your extra freezer sits empty most of the winter, it’s using more energy than it does during the summer when it’s full of ice cream.

A full freezer uses less energy than an empty one because the already-frozen food in it keeps the unit’s temperature low.

A tip: Pack your empty or half-full freezer with water-filled plastic milk cartons or two-liter bottles. This will keep your freezer running efficiently.

The water-filled containers—filled to four inches from the top—will ease the strain on the freezer’s motor and keep food cold longer during a power outage. And you can drink the water in an emergency.

Standard practice:
1. Increase with 30%
2. Announce a HUGE discount of 10%!
????????????

20 minutes ago, faraday said:

Top Tip:

 

Keep it full of beer!

 

The tough one... don't drink it.

44 minutes ago, webfact said:

There was no question that electrical companies were overcharging, he said.

 

Hardly gonna say that they are overcharging, now are they? 

 

Unless the translation didn't accurately describe what he said, it seems - well to me at least, an odd statement.

Load of crock s**t if you ask me specially when they can't even maintain a constant electricity supply without disruptions Oh and not only Pattaya here in the North prices were up !

 

The debt accumulated with the commercial banks and the central bank will have to be repaid in some way and the easiest way, as always, is to steal into the pockets of the people.

1 hour ago, johng said:

 

I thought the "conventional wisdom"  was to keep the fridge stuffed with as much as possible as it reduces the amount of new air having to be cooled each time the door is opened...obviously  it does take energy to cool the food down  but once cooled it will also act as a reverse heat sink keeping the inside cool.

I thought the same as you but is it correct? that bloke doesn't think so

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

Only in Thailand that I know of.

It's a Thainess, sell more pay more and the 'I'm selling less so I'll put prices', instead of lower to encourage more sales.

5 minutes ago, johng said:

 

5555  I think he means to clean the removable filters once a month  as opposed to cleaning the evaporator and condenser units once a month which would be a bit of a "pain in the bum"   to say the least  especially doing it yourself !!!

Yes. A simple removal and spraying/drying of the screens will help the air-cons run more efficiently as the air flows through the screens more efficiently. Even a light "banging" (outside preferably) or giving them a brush with the broom can help remove a lot of the dust that clogs the filters.

This was a major issue when I was in Afghanistan. The place was dusty almost year-round with a real fine, powdery dust. The filters would plug up and people would keep cranking the temperature on the air con lower and lower as they weren't cooling very well. This lead to a lot of burnt out motors. In my area we'd pull the filters every couple of weeks and give them a blast with the air hose and things would be fine for another couple of weeks.

And yes, ever since I was a kid, it was common knowledge that keeping a fridge/freezer full was more efficient than keeping it near empty. A lot of people would throw extra stuff (like pails/bags of water) in to take up space and act as a "thermal battery". And that was back in the days when people were using kerosene and propane fridges/freezers. (Where I used to live, a lot of people still use propane fridges, stoves and hot water heaters actually.)

Something else that happened in April was that the power company went along Soi Khao Noi, from the railway up past The Chill mall, installing new cross braces, insulators and at least one new power cable.
Around the same time, they were in the village redoing power lines and meters as well. I imagine they were doing similar work in other places as well.

My bill wasn't much higher than previous months, but I use a lot of juice every month any ways. I joked with the guy doing the meter readings about the bill and he laughed and mentioned how hot it was and people using their air-cons more. Which makes sense as well with more people home during the days instead of being at work. More time with lights, TV and air cons on while more people going into the fridge all day long as well (compared to previous times).

Had my bill been double (or near that) I would have been PO'd for sure. I keep all my old bills so can easily check to see if they've changed the rates and what my average usage is (which generally is higher in the April/May period and lower in the Dec/Jan period).

Hopefully we'll start getting more rain soon which will help cool things down a bit as well.

Oh dear, better to keep quiet and be thought a fool, than open your mouth and remove all doubt.

 

Nepotism over education rings out again.

2 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Oh dear, better to keep quiet and be thought a fool, than open your mouth and remove all doubt.

Never seems to stop them here......

PEA leaves a printout in your mailbox when the read the meter. Sometime later you get a bill in the mail.

 

Both documents list the number of units (kW/h) consumed, but everyone just looks at the baht amount and starts to scream about conspiracy. What, they failed to notice that it's fr*ggin' hot outside? 

 

The bill is higher because they used more electricity.

 

And, yes, in support of the poor, the lowest usage pays the lowest price per unit. Higher usage costs more per unit, so it's a double whammy, but intended for fairness and to discourage waste. The same is true in California and many other States.

 

 

 

Of course.  We all knew it!!!
It's The Public's Fault!!!  (Always is).

I asked my girlfriend to fan me but she refuses to do it. I guessed I watched too many old movies.

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

I thought the same as you but is it correct? that bloke doesn't think so

He's right about keep opening and closing  the door... makes you fat too. And in the short term loading up your fridge will use a lot of power as it cools all the stuff down. Longer term, full is more efficient. 

 

 

3 hours ago, johng said:

 

I thought the "conventional wisdom"  was to keep the fridge stuffed with as much as possible as it reduces the amount of new air having to be cooled each time the door is opened...obviously  it does take energy to cool the food down  but once cooled it will also act as a reverse heat sink keeping the inside cool.

Exactly! Total BS what he's saying

3 hours ago, johng said:

 

I thought the "conventional wisdom"  was to keep the fridge stuffed with as much as possible as it reduces the amount of new air having to be cooled each time the door is opened...obviously  it does take energy to cool the food down  but once cooled it will also act as a reverse heat sink keeping the inside cool.

This is true.. As much as possible within reasons is the way to go.. Obsiously he hasnt heard that conventional wisdom I guess..  ????

Install fridges and air cons with INVERTERS and see the difference it makes. It has knocked a 1000 Baht of my monthly bill !!!!!!. 

3 hours ago, johng said:

 

I thought the "conventional wisdom"  was to keep the fridge stuffed with as much as possible as it reduces the amount of new air having to be cooled each time the door is opened...obviously  it does take energy to cool the food down  but once cooled it will also act as a reverse heat sink keeping the inside cool.

you are correct, Johng.

but that is global norm or logic.

 

does not apply for PEA in thailand!!

i replaced 2 AC last year with new ones with inverters, as soon as started WFH, 30K investment already 50% paid back. Most of appliances in Thailand are more than 10 years old, poorly maintained and drain money out of your pocked faster than your Thai GF

So that explains why the bill was three times the previous one . Despite the temperature outside being 2-3 degrees cooler than the previous months ! Not ????
They are trying to say that thousands of people just suddenly started using far more electric than usual and despite living in Thailand for their whole life they just realised their bills are high at certain times  ? Sure ????

So let me read this so a country that didn't even have fridges 50 years ago and still half the population only use it as a messy <deleted> hole to store  rotten pork. Is now telling the people they open the fridge to much. Yes i guess it cool off the house in 43c 

3 hours ago, johng said:

 

I thought the "conventional wisdom"  was to keep the fridge stuffed with as much as possible as it reduces the amount of new air having to be cooled each time the door is opened...obviously  it does take energy to cool the food down  but once cooled it will also act as a reverse heat sink keeping the inside cool.

 

That's exactly what I was always told! If you only have a little food in the freezer, fill it full of ice, and that will keep the running costs down!