What Is It Really Like Living In Thailand?

[Tagaa]

Paul-s...I am in the process of getting to LOS as we speak. I will arrive on July 24. Just today, I sold my restored Jeep. Tomorrow, I am selling my truck & getting a rental car until the day my plane leaves. I have an estate sale already scheduled. Things are moving along. It is a little daunting when you watch all of your "prized possessions" go down the road, however, it is, after all, only stuff. I am going to ship a crate of personal things that I cannot replace, but that, besides my clothes, is all I am taking.

I decided awhile back I was tired of the current state of affairs here in the US, so off to Los I go. I am heading to Issan. I will find a rental house or serviced apartment, get some transportation & then explore Issan & the north for about a year or so, prior to choosing a place to live.

Some people think I have gone round the bend. Most say they wish they could go to. I am anxious to get there & start the next chapter of my life. I say join me in Issan.

Regards, Tagaa

[Naam]

Are there any forum members who've retired and are living in Thailand and are married to non Thais' , or, don't plan to marry Thai ladies?

YES Sir!

[Naam]

I can't see Thailand being a more attractive place to retire in than, say, Sri Lanka. One doesn't have a language problem in Sri Lanka; everyone speaks English, also, living in Sri Lanka is considerably cheaper than in Thailand. Additionally; Sri Lanka doesn't have the odd land ownership and bank deposits requirements that Thailand has. Sri Lankans generally are a very courteous and friendly lot, same, same, as are Thais'.

The climate in the mountain areas of Sri Lanka , such as Kandy, is very much better than that found anywhere in Thailand .

Sri Lanka (especially the south around Kandy) is quite attractive for people who care a *** about acceptable infrastructure, e.g. healthcare, communication (internet).

for retirees Sri Lanka is especially attractive because they are (as opposed to Thailand) allowed to pay income tax on their worldwide investment income. pensions are however excepted.

it seems that Sri Lanka has also dropped the scheme for foreign retirees which existed till 2003 when we were interested (we stopped a property puchase in the last minute) and downloaded dozens of forms to fill starting with "who are you, what are you and why are you?" luckily we stopped a property purchase in the very last minute when we found out that the "no problem residence" was indeed a huge big problem.

http://www.immigration.gov.lk/html/visa/residence.html

Residence Visas

Eligibility

1. Expatriate personnel whose services are required for projects approved by the State.

2. Expatriate personnel employed in projects under Board of Investment of Sri Lanka.

3. A foreign national

- Who desires to invest monetary capital or

- To engage in business activities in Sri Lanka.

4. Members of the Clergy.

5. Religious Workers and Religious Students.

6. Volunteers.

7. Personnel attached to Non-Governmental Organisations.

8. Foreign students

- In Universities

- Educational Institutions approved by the State

- Other Institutions

9. Registered Indians covered by the 1954 Agreement.

10. Ex Sri Lankans.

11. Spouses of Sri Lankans.

12. Children of Sri Lankans but holding foreign nationality.

[mogoso]

Also, partly because I am tired of being so hot all the time, I run an air conditioner most of the time in the room I am in. Usually only one (out of eight) is running because my wife doesn't need it but even with only one running our electric bill here averages 12,000 baht per month and has been as high as 17,000 during hot months. I had a large home in a one of the hottest places in the U.S. before moving here and it had central air which meant I was cooling the entire house 24/7 and I never had a bill above $250 (about 8500 baht) so electricity is much more expensive here than in the states (I don't know about the UK). So be careful, depending on your needs and lifestyle, you can spend as much here as you can anywhere else.

The other bad thing about living here, and it is really bad in Hua Hin, is dishonnest farangs that have come here to prey on other farangs. I have lost count of the stories of people being duped out of their life savings by unscrupulous builders and real-estate companies. My wife is amazed by it all. She is always asking me "why do falangs cheat other falangs so much?" I tell her it's greed and that it is always bad in a boom town like Hua Hin is at the moment.

Good luck!

As you built your home, how much insulation did you use, I guess I'm asking what "R" factor did you obtain? Double or single pane glass? How is your roof vented? Any window awnings? Basically did you plan for energy use before building or allow the builder to decide? I'm still in the US but when I moved into my home so many years back, I doubled my attic insulation and increased my roof vents. I pay half of what my neighbors pay for electricity. I've a line of pine trees next to the lake that take care of the afternoon sun to help keep the house cool. We added to my MIL in Chiang Mai home and told her brother who was our contractor to build to our specifications. He liked some of our suggestions so well that he used them in his own home, a couple of years later.

Good advice about farangs, not all of them but enough of factor to put your guard up. hel_l never put you guard down on anyone, but a few people in your life.

[tijnebijn]

12000 baht a month......How can you have such a high checkbill?Together,the shop of my wifes and our property(which has 3 houses on it)with aircons and washing machines,hot shower and waterpomps etc combined we pay no more then 3.500 all together a month.And I though that was allready pretty high.We spend more electric then all the neighbourhood combined.So your checkbill will be the whole ampuh combined??Maybe everybody is tapping at your electric box.....

[jdinasia]

running one ac unit at a time? ... not possible .... unless he's cooling the grand ballroom of a major hotel!

[paul-s]

Paul-s...I am in the process of getting to LOS as we speak. I will arrive on July 24. Just today, I sold my restored Jeep. Tomorrow, I am selling my truck & getting a rental car until the day my plane leaves. I have an estate sale already scheduled. Things are moving along. It is a little daunting when you watch all of your "prized possessions" go down the road, however, it is, after all, only stuff. I am going to ship a crate of personal things that I cannot replace, but that, besides my clothes, is all I am taking.

I decided awhile back I was tired of the current state of affairs here in the US, so off to Los I go. I am heading to Issan. I will find a rental house or serviced apartment, get some transportation & then explore Issan & the north for about a year or so, prior to choosing a place to live.

Some people think I have gone round the bend. Most say they wish they could go to. I am anxious to get there & start the next chapter of my life. I say join me in Issan.

Regards, Tagaa

May I wish all the best of luck - I like the Issan area very much - My Lady comes from the Ubon area.

[paul-s]

Reading this thread, it appears that most foreign retirees living in Thailand have Thai wives.

Are there any forum members who've retired and are living in Thailand and are married to non Thais' , or, don't plan to marry Thai ladies?

It would appear that a very great part of the attraction that Thailand has for the average farang, centers around Thai women - if one removes this aspect, then, I can't see Thailand being a more attractive place to retire in than, say, Sri Lanka. One doesn't have a language problem in Sri Lanka; everyone speaks English, also, living in Sri Lanka is considerably cheaper than in Thailand. Additionally; Sri Lanka doesn't have the odd land ownership and bank deposits requirements that Thailand has. Sri Lankans generally are a very courteous and friendly lot, same, same, as are Thais'.

I will be taking my Thai wife with me, we met in Brighton and I didn't import her to the UK ( I hope I don't get charged corkage at Bangkok) She is the old fashioned Thai sort not the bar girl sort. I like the food and the hot weather. I genuinely really like the Thai culture and their family values, plus the fact that older people are not just pushed to one side. If I wanted it simple I would go to Spain where a lot of Brits live and is part of europe.

[Naam]

Also, partly because I am tired of being so hot all the time, I run an air conditioner most of the time in the room I am in. Usually only one (out of eight) is running because my wife doesn't need it but even with only one running our electric bill here averages 12,000 baht per month and has been as high as 17,000 during hot months. I had a large home in a one of the hottest places in the U.S. before moving here and it had central air which meant I was cooling the entire house 24/7 and I never had a bill above $250 (about 8500 baht) so

electricity is much more expensive here than in the states.

that's not correct. electricity has been more or less the same when one dollar fetched 40 Baht, i.e. 10 US-cents per kilowatt/hour. presently, with the dollar around 34 Baht one kW/h costs (for high users) 4 Baht = 12 US-cents. until a couple of years ago i lived in Florida and paid 10.5 US-cents for one kW/h.

using one aircon 24/7 and paying 12-17,000 Baht is virtually and technically impossible. even taking the lower amount of THB 12,000 and not considering the demand from other electric appliances your single aircon would have to draw 100 kW/h a day = ~4.2 kW/h an hour. a late model 18,000 btu/h aircon draws max 2 kW per hour, older more inefficient units might draw 2.5 kW.

i have 15 aircons (each 13,000 btu/h) installed in my house. out of which 4-5 are continuously in operation to maintain an average temperature of 26.5ºC. the share of my aircons of the total electricity consumption is approximately 55% and my estimated bill for the period 19th may to 19th june will be around 11,500 Baht, i.e. aircon share around 6,500 Baht.

you seem to have a severe power drain or (as another OP suggested) half a dozen neighbours draw electricity through your meter or... your meter is seriously "effed" up.

[Rhys]

Have the courage to come and experience yourself.. it can be whatever you want it to be.

[fabianfred]

If you were serious about Buddhism, Thailand is one of the last places you would come to study it. I know, because I used to be very serious about Buddhism. It was partially due to living in Thailand that I stopped studying it, once I saw just how materialistic a nation of professed "Buddhists" really were.

I'm sorry you lost faith in Buddhism because of what you saw here.....

...every country has been seduced by the new religion...consumerism, materialism...

more a plague from the Western culture than anything...

I agree that 95% of the monks and Temples are not very good examples.... they do not practise correctly.... but that is the fault of the people... not the Buddhism...

I still think that Buddhism is the best thing which is to be found here.... and some of us prefer to be in the home of the religion where there are plenty of choices and opportunites to meet the real thing and find good teachers and practise too.

The Buddha said his teachings would last for 5,000 years before they were completely corrupted and lost.... we are over half way there.... but the true Dhamma is still to be found...

[jeebusjones]

I'm sorry you lost faith in Buddhism because of what you saw here.....

...every country has been seduced by the new religion...consumerism, materialism...

more a plague from the Western culture than anything...

I agree that 95% of the monks and Temples are not very good examples.... they do not practise correctly.... but that is the fault of the people... not the Buddhism...

I still think that Buddhism is the best thing which is to be found here.... and some of us prefer to be in the home of the religion where there are plenty of choices and opportunites to meet the real thing and find good teachers and practise too.

The Buddha said his teachings would last for 5,000 years before they were completely corrupted and lost.... we are over half way there.... but the true Dhamma is still to be found...

An excellent point, and I still have the utmost respect for the teachings of Buddha as outlined in the major Buddhist texts, such as the Dhammapadda.

Materialism and consumerism is indeed a global phenomenom, but it is nice to find pockets of resistance when possible.

[phosamton]

If you were serious about Buddhism, Thailand is one of the last places you would come to study it. I know, because I used to be very serious about Buddhism. It was partially due to living in Thailand that I stopped studying it, once I saw just how materialistic a nation of professed "Buddhists" really were.

I'm sorry you lost faith in Buddhism because of what you saw here.....

...every country has been seduced by the new religion...consumerism, materialism...

more a plague from the Western culture than anything...

I agree that 95% of the monks and Temples are not very good examples.... they do not practise correctly.... but that is the fault of the people... not the Buddhism...

I still think that Buddhism is the best thing which is to be found here.... and some of us prefer to be in the home of the religion where there are plenty of choices and opportunites to meet the real thing and find good teachers and practise too.

The Buddha said his teachings would last for 5,000 years before they were completely corrupted and lost.... we are over half way there.... but the true Dhamma is still to be found...

A revered monk named Buddhadasa Bhikkhu devoted much time trying to get the real Buddhism into Thai culture. His book "Handbook for Mankind" devotes a bit of space to what is wrong with Thai Buddhism. Ironically, most Thais will worship him in the very way that he was protesting against. The teachings of Christ are quite perverted in all organized religions also...

[hhfarang]

Also, partly because I am tired of being so hot all the time, I run an air conditioner most of the time in the room I am in. Usually only one (out of eight) is running because my wife doesn't need it but even with only one running our electric bill here averages 12,000 baht per month and has been as high as 17,000 during hot months. I had a large home in a one of the hottest places in the U.S. before moving here and it had central air which meant I was cooling the entire house 24/7 and I never had a bill above $250 (about 8500 baht) so electricity is much more expensive here than in the states (I don't know about the UK). So be careful, depending on your needs and lifestyle, you can spend as much here as you can anywhere else.

The other bad thing about living here, and it is really bad in Hua Hin, is dishonnest farangs that have come here to prey on other farangs. I have lost count of the stories of people being duped out of their life savings by unscrupulous builders and real-estate companies. My wife is amazed by it all. She is always asking me "why do falangs cheat other falangs so much?" I tell her it's greed and that it is always bad in a boom town like Hua Hin is at the moment.

Good luck!

As you built your home, how much insulation did you use, I guess I'm asking what "R" factor did you obtain? Double or single pane glass? How is your roof vented? Any window awnings? Basically did you plan for energy use before building or allow the builder to decide? I'm still in the US but when I moved into my home so many years back, I doubled my attic insulation and increased my roof vents. I pay half of what my neighbors pay for electricity. I've a line of pine trees next to the lake that take care of the afternoon sun to help keep the house cool. We added to my MIL in Chiang Mai home and told her brother who was our contractor to build to our specifications. He liked some of our suggestions so well that he used them in his own home, a couple of years later.

Good advice about farangs, not all of them but enough of factor to put your guard up. hel_l never put you guard down on anyone, but a few people in your life.

At that point, I trusted my builder and let him decide. He said that with the double wall construction, gable roof vents, and the usual foil they put on the underside of the roof tiles, I would have no problem, but It is usually several degrees hotter inside the house than outside and it takes a lot of energy to cool it. I have single pane windows and no other insulation. I have the standard insulation here for most builders so if you want more you have to pay extra and try to find someone who understands what you want and can do it. I haven't seen double pane windows here but that doesn't mean they don't exist. I also haven't seen attic insulation with R ratings like I had in the states. HomePro (big hardware chain here) has some but it's much thinner than what I always used in the states; and I've been told not to use that type of insulation because it just traps the heat in your house and doesn't let it rise to the attick. I am looking into foam insulation now that is sprayed on the underside of the roof tiles. I'm hoping that will not only insulate but stop roof leaks that happen when the rain is blowing straight sideways and blows up under the tiles. Another insulation problem I have is that I made the mistake (for reasons of beauty) of letting the builder install wood windows and doors. Seasonally, (wet to dry) the wood swells and shrinks so that these windows cannot be sealed against the elements. They have cracks around them that not only allow air flow in and out but that blowing rain I mentioned comes in as well. If I built again, I would use PVC sliders.

[hhfarang]

Also, partly because I am tired of being so hot all the time, I run an air conditioner most of the time in the room I am in. Usually only one (out of eight) is running because my wife doesn't need it but even with only one running our electric bill here averages 12,000 baht per month and has been as high as 17,000 during hot months. I had a large home in a one of the hottest places in the U.S. before moving here and it had central air which meant I was cooling the entire house 24/7 and I never had a bill above $250 (about 8500 baht) so

electricity is much more expensive here than in the states.

that's not correct. electricity has been more or less the same when one dollar fetched 40 Baht, i.e. 10 US-cents per kilowatt/hour. presently, with the dollar around 34 Baht one kW/h costs (for high users) 4 Baht = 12 US-cents. until a couple of years ago i lived in Florida and paid 10.5 US-cents for one kW/h.

using one aircon 24/7 and paying 12-17,000 Baht is virtually and technically impossible. even taking the lower amount of THB 12,000 and not considering the demand from other electric appliances your single aircon would have to draw 100 kW/h a day = ~4.2 kW/h an hour. a late model 18,000 btu/h aircon draws max 2 kW per hour, older more inefficient units might draw 2.5 kW.

i have 15 aircons (each 13,000 btu/h) installed in my house. out of which 4-5 are continuously in operation to maintain an average temperature of 26.5ºC. the share of my aircons of the total electricity consumption is approximately 55% and my estimated bill for the period 19th may to 19th june will be around 11,500 Baht, i.e. aircon share around 6,500 Baht.

you seem to have a severe power drain or (as another OP suggested) half a dozen neighbours draw electricity through your meter or... your meter is seriously "effed" up.

My wife has called the electric company and they came out and said our meter is ok and we turned off the main breakers to our house and the meter stopped, indicating no one is stealing from our meter.

There is some overlap in room A/C usage such that maybe we have 32-34 hours of single A/C usage in any 24 hour period but no more than that. Other appliances we have that run any appreciable amount of time are three water pumps on water features (i.e. pool, jacuzzi, waterfall). One of those runs 24/7, another runs about 16 hours per day and the third no more than 8 hours per day. Our main water pump runs maybe 4 to six hours per day during dry weather because we have a large yard to water. We have a lot of outdoor lights that are on from sunset until 11 p.m., and then a lesser number overnight but those are all energy saving flourescent bulbs. We have three refrigerators, one large and two small, a washer and dryer (3 loads per week), a dishwasher (1 load per week), probably 24 hours per day of combined ceiling/portable fan usage and a TV that is on maybe 8 hours per day. Other than that we only have small appliances that are on for short periods. All appliances including A/Cs are new (purchased within the last year) and all have a "5" energy saving rating.

I am looking at my bill from 21 April to 21 March this year and our usage was 4258 kilowatts for a total bill of 16,714.97 or about 3.93 baht per kilowatt.

So with the list above of what we use does our kilowatt usage make sense to you. All I have to compare with was a house (about the same size) also in Florida and like I said I kept it at 72 to 75 degrees F most of the time and never had a bill above $250... so MY electric bill here is a lot more than it was in the states (about double for roughly the same size house).

Electricity is our biggest expense here, even more than our car payment for a brand new car!

[a2396]

Also, partly because I am tired of being so hot all the time, I run an air conditioner most of the time in the room I am in. Usually only one (out of eight) is running because my wife doesn't need it but even with only one running our electric bill here averages 12,000 baht per month and has been as high as 17,000 during hot months. I had a large home in a one of the hottest places in the U.S. before moving here and it had central air which meant I was cooling the entire house 24/7 and I never had a bill above $250 (about 8500 baht) so

electricity is much more expensive here than in the states.

that's not correct. electricity has been more or less the same when one dollar fetched 40 Baht, i.e. 10 US-cents per kilowatt/hour. presently, with the dollar around 34 Baht one kW/h costs (for high users) 4 Baht = 12 US-cents. until a couple of years ago i lived in Florida and paid 10.5 US-cents for one kW/h.

using one aircon 24/7 and paying 12-17,000 Baht is virtually and technically impossible. even taking the lower amount of THB 12,000 and not considering the demand from other electric appliances your single aircon would have to draw 100 kW/h a day = ~4.2 kW/h an hour. a late model 18,000 btu/h aircon draws max 2 kW per hour, older more inefficient units might draw 2.5 kW.

i have 15 aircons (each 13,000 btu/h) installed in my house. out of which 4-5 are continuously in operation to maintain an average temperature of 26.5ºC. the share of my aircons of the total electricity consumption is approximately 55% and my estimated bill for the period 19th may to 19th june will be around 11,500 Baht, i.e. aircon share around 6,500 Baht.

you seem to have a severe power drain or (as another OP suggested) half a dozen neighbours draw electricity through your meter or... your meter is seriously "effed" up.

My wife has called the electric company and they came out and said our meter is ok and we turned off the main breakers to our house and the meter stopped, indicating no one is stealing from our meter.

There is some overlap in room A/C usage such that maybe we have 32-34 hours of single A/C usage in any 24 hour period but no more than that. Other appliances we have that run any appreciable amount of time are three water pumps on water features (i.e. pool, jacuzzi, waterfall). One of those runs 24/7, another runs about 16 hours per day and the third no more than 8 hours per day. Our main water pump runs maybe 4 to six hours per day during dry weather because we have a large yard to water. We have a lot of outdoor lights that are on from sunset until 11 p.m., and then a lesser number overnight but those are all energy saving flourescent bulbs. We have three refrigerators, one large and two small, a washer and dryer (3 loads per week), a dishwasher (1 load per week), probably 24 hours per day of combined ceiling/portable fan usage and a TV that is on maybe 8 hours per day. Other than that we only have small appliances that are on for short periods. All appliances including A/Cs are new (purchased within the last year) and all have a "5" energy saving rating.

I am looking at my bill from 21 April to 21 March this year and our usage was 4258 kilowatts for a total bill of 16,714.97 or about 3.93 baht per kilowatt.

So with the list above of what we use does our kilowatt usage make sense to you. All I have to compare with was a house (about the same size) also in Florida and like I said I kept it at 72 to 75 degrees F most of the time and never had a bill above $250... so MY electric bill here is a lot more than it was in the states (about double for roughly the same size house).

Electricity is our biggest expense here, even more than our car payment for a brand new car!

You must be operating some sort of business here in LOS. Electric expenses higher here than USA??? I lived in Arizona 10 years ago & my bill was $300 per mo in hot months. My higest bill in Thailand was about 1700 bht for bedroom AC, used mostly at night. Why do you need a clothes dryer in Thailand?? 3 loads per week? How many in your family?

[figaro]

[snipped per mod directive]

...What I particularly like about Thailand is the general attitude of the people.

Compare (say) the courtesy that one encounters on the BTS in Bangkok with that of their counterparts in a place like London and you’ll get an idea as to why so many people like Thailand as a holiday place. One notices the generally pleasant Thai attitude at most tourist oriented places , such as; restaurants , shopping outlets and the like. The Thais’ are certainly after one’s money, but, they take it with a smile. In London they take one’s money and then snarl after having taken it.

[snipped]

Many Thai beaches are certainly very attractive – used to be a very keen windsurfer – but, over all I’m more of a mountain type man. Perhaps, the only place in Thailand that would appeal to me for long term residence is a place like Mae Hong Sohn, way up in the North.

As for living as a future retiree in Thailand, forget it, I’d get bored in about a month.

During my last visit to Kohn Kaen , about nine months back, I came across a young Australian who was married to a Thai lady - they had a kid. This guy was planting trees on land that he had rented there. He was UTTERLY bored and wanted to get back to Australia as early as possible. I doubt as to whether his marriage will survive.

Living long term in Thailand is just too boring, unless one has an active business. Everyone should know about the hassles of trying to run a successful business in LOS.

[Ijustwannateach]

I'm going to clean up this thread of some of the personal remarks, name-calling, and other abuse- it *will* stop on this thread, or the thread will also be closed.

[Ijustwannateach]

I have done extensive editing. The topic of this thread is "What is it like to really live in Thailand?" not "do most people come to Thailand for sex or not?" Abusive or off-topic posts have now been removed, and a warning or two will be issued.

If this topic is to stay open, its posts will be topical according to the first topic.

[swain]

It really depends on where you live, I lived in Los Angeles and the power costs went through the roof thanks to our idiot Governor. I spent 80 dollars a month and I didn't have air con, and was very careful about lights, TV, and the computer and that was for a VERY small apartment. Here in Chiang Mai in a smaller-sized house I have one air con on 24 hours a day and others 12 hours a day .. plus all the outside lights and tv and computers and we have a deep freezer and I only once in a while get close to 80 dollars a month .. during the real hot season I have all the air on 24 hours a day.

Also, partly because I am tired of being so hot all the time, I run an air conditioner most of the time in the room I am in. Usually only one (out of eight) is running because my wife doesn't need it but even with only one running our electric bill here averages 12,000 baht per month and has been as high as 17,000 during hot months. I had a large home in a one of the hottest places in the U.S. before moving here and it had central air which meant I was cooling the entire house 24/7 and I never had a bill above $250 (about 8500 baht) so

electricity is much more expensive here than in the states.

that's not correct. electricity has been more or less the same when one dollar fetched 40 Baht, i.e. 10 US-cents per kilowatt/hour. presently, with the dollar around 34 Baht one kW/h costs (for high users) 4 Baht = 12 US-cents. until a couple of years ago i lived in Florida and paid 10.5 US-cents for one kW/h.

using one aircon 24/7 and paying 12-17,000 Baht is virtually and technically impossible. even taking the lower amount of THB 12,000 and not considering the demand from other electric appliances your single aircon would have to draw 100 kW/h a day = ~4.2 kW/h an hour. a late model 18,000 btu/h aircon draws max 2 kW per hour, older more inefficient units might draw 2.5 kW.

i have 15 aircons (each 13,000 btu/h) installed in my house. out of which 4-5 are continuously in operation to maintain an average temperature of 26.5ºC. the share of my aircons of the total electricity consumption is approximately 55% and my estimated bill for the period 19th may to 19th june will be around 11,500 Baht, i.e. aircon share around 6,500 Baht.

you seem to have a severe power drain or (as another OP suggested) half a dozen neighbours draw electricity through your meter or... your meter is seriously "effed" up.

My wife has called the electric company and they came out and said our meter is ok and we turned off the main breakers to our house and the meter stopped, indicating no one is stealing from our meter.

There is some overlap in room A/C usage such that maybe we have 32-34 hours of single A/C usage in any 24 hour period but no more than that. Other appliances we have that run any appreciable amount of time are three water pumps on water features (i.e. pool, jacuzzi, waterfall). One of those runs 24/7, another runs about 16 hours per day and the third no more than 8 hours per day. Our main water pump runs maybe 4 to six hours per day during dry weather because we have a large yard to water. We have a lot of outdoor lights that are on from sunset until 11 p.m., and then a lesser number overnight but those are all energy saving flourescent bulbs. We have three refrigerators, one large and two small, a washer and dryer (3 loads per week), a dishwasher (1 load per week), probably 24 hours per day of combined ceiling/portable fan usage and a TV that is on maybe 8 hours per day. Other than that we only have small appliances that are on for short periods. All appliances including A/Cs are new (purchased within the last year) and all have a "5" energy saving rating.

I am looking at my bill from 21 April to 21 March this year and our usage was 4258 kilowatts for a total bill of 16,714.97 or about 3.93 baht per kilowatt.

So with the list above of what we use does our kilowatt usage make sense to you. All I have to compare with was a house (about the same size) also in Florida and like I said I kept it at 72 to 75 degrees F most of the time and never had a bill above $250... so MY electric bill here is a lot more than it was in the states (about double for roughly the same size house).

Electricity is our biggest expense here, even more than our car payment for a brand new car!

You must be operating some sort of business here in LOS. Electric expenses higher here than USA??? I lived in Arizona 10 years ago & my bill was $300 per mo in hot months. My higest bill in Thailand was about 1700 bht for bedroom AC, used mostly at night. Why do you need a clothes dryer in Thailand?? 3 loads per week? How many in your family?

[paul-s]

All your comments on electricy are helpful, but I think I am getting a headache trying to work out the options. Add to that - here in the UK I need heating and not aircon and I use part gas and part electricity, I have a smallish house and my combined bills are about £120GBP (8,160 baht) per month, and I think this is expensive. I guess I will have to be frugal with the air con.

It really depends on where you live, I lived in Los Angeles and the power costs went through the roof thanks to our idiot Governor. I spent 80 dollars a month and I didn't have air con, and was very careful about lights, TV, and the computer and that was for a VERY small apartment. Here in Chiang Mai in a smaller-sized house I have one air con on 24 hours a day and others 12 hours a day .. plus all the outside lights and tv and computers and we have a deep freezer and I only once in a while get close to 80 dollars a month .. during the real hot season I have all the air on 24 hours a day.

Also, partly because I am tired of being so hot all the time, I run an air conditioner most of the time in the room I am in. Usually only one (out of eight) is running because my wife doesn't need it but even with only one running our electric bill here averages 12,000 baht per month and has been as high as 17,000 during hot months. I had a large home in a one of the hottest places in the U.S. before moving here and it had central air which meant I was cooling the entire house 24/7 and I never had a bill above $250 (about 8500 baht) so

electricity is much more expensive here than in the states.

that's not correct. electricity has been more or less the same when one dollar fetched 40 Baht, i.e. 10 US-cents per kilowatt/hour. presently, with the dollar around 34 Baht one kW/h costs (for high users) 4 Baht = 12 US-cents. until a couple of years ago i lived in Florida and paid 10.5 US-cents for one kW/h.

using one aircon 24/7 and paying 12-17,000 Baht is virtually and technically impossible. even taking the lower amount of THB 12,000 and not considering the demand from other electric appliances your single aircon would have to draw 100 kW/h a day = ~4.2 kW/h an hour. a late model 18,000 btu/h aircon draws max 2 kW per hour, older more inefficient units might draw 2.5 kW.

i have 15 aircons (each 13,000 btu/h) installed in my house. out of which 4-5 are continuously in operation to maintain an average temperature of 26.5ºC. the share of my aircons of the total electricity consumption is approximately 55% and my estimated bill for the period 19th may to 19th june will be around 11,500 Baht, i.e. aircon share around 6,500 Baht.

you seem to have a severe power drain or (as another OP suggested) half a dozen neighbours draw electricity through your meter or... your meter is seriously "effed" up.

My wife has called the electric company and they came out and said our meter is ok and we turned off the main breakers to our house and the meter stopped, indicating no one is stealing from our meter.

There is some overlap in room A/C usage such that maybe we have 32-34 hours of single A/C usage in any 24 hour period but no more than that. Other appliances we have that run any appreciable amount of time are three water pumps on water features (i.e. pool, jacuzzi, waterfall). One of those runs 24/7, another runs about 16 hours per day and the third no more than 8 hours per day. Our main water pump runs maybe 4 to six hours per day during dry weather because we have a large yard to water. We have a lot of outdoor lights that are on from sunset until 11 p.m., and then a lesser number overnight but those are all energy saving flourescent bulbs. We have three refrigerators, one large and two small, a washer and dryer (3 loads per week), a dishwasher (1 load per week), probably 24 hours per day of combined ceiling/portable fan usage and a TV that is on maybe 8 hours per day. Other than that we only have small appliances that are on for short periods. All appliances including A/Cs are new (purchased within the last year) and all have a "5" energy saving rating.

I am looking at my bill from 21 April to 21 March this year and our usage was 4258 kilowatts for a total bill of 16,714.97 or about 3.93 baht per kilowatt.

So with the list above of what we use does our kilowatt usage make sense to you. All I have to compare with was a house (about the same size) also in Florida and like I said I kept it at 72 to 75 degrees F most of the time and never had a bill above $250... so MY electric bill here is a lot more than it was in the states (about double for roughly the same size house).

Electricity is our biggest expense here, even more than our car payment for a brand new car!

You must be operating some sort of business here in LOS. Electric expenses higher here than USA??? I lived in Arizona 10 years ago & my bill was $300 per mo in hot months. My higest bill in Thailand was about 1700 bht for bedroom AC, used mostly at night. Why do you need a clothes dryer in Thailand?? 3 loads per week? How many in your family?

[paul-s]

Paul-s...I am in the process of getting to LOS as we speak. I will arrive on July 24. Just today, I sold my restored Jeep. Tomorrow, I am selling my truck & getting a rental car until the day my plane leaves. I have an estate sale already scheduled. Things are moving along. It is a little daunting when you watch all of your "prized possessions" go down the road, however, it is, after all, only stuff. I am going to ship a crate of personal things that I cannot replace, but that, besides my clothes, is all I am taking.

Until now I have been shy to ask and please excuse my naivety, but why to some of you refer to Thailand as "LOS"

[Penkoprod]

Land Of Smiles

[Naam]

Other appliances we have that run any appreciable amount of time are three water pumps on water features (i.e. pool, jacuzzi, waterfall). One of those runs 24/7, another runs about 16 hours per day and the third no more than 8 hours per day. Our main water pump runs maybe 4 to six hours per day during dry weather because we have a large yard to water.

here we go, now it makes sense! adding up your pump times and assuming each of your pumps draws 0.734 kilowatt (pumpsize capacity 1HP) the lion share of your electricity consumption is used by the pumps.

question: why would you run pool pump/waterfall pumps for such a long time?

[popshirt]

Land Of Smiles

And has anyone noticed--besides me--that there are fewer and fewer smiling Thais visible in Bkk, on the streets, MRT, BTS, shops, etc.

It seems many smiles have disappeared in the last year or two.

Sad, really.

[hhfarang]

Other appliances we have that run any appreciable amount of time are three water pumps on water features (i.e. pool, jacuzzi, waterfall). One of those runs 24/7, another runs about 16 hours per day and the third no more than 8 hours per day. Our main water pump runs maybe 4 to six hours per day during dry weather because we have a large yard to water.

here we go, now it makes sense! adding up your pump times and assuming each of your pumps draws 0.734 kilowatt (pumpsize capacity 1HP) the lion share of your electricity consumption is used by the pumps.

question: why would you run pool pump/waterfall pumps for such a long time?

The 24 and 16 hour pumps are for a koi pond. One has to run all the time for filtration or the water will go green and murky. The one that cleans the water (24 hour) is a 1/2 hp submersible. The one that runs 16 hours is a dry centrifugal pump that powers the waterfall (2 hp) to keep the water oxygenated for the fish. I "rest" it for a couple of hours four times a day. Maybe I'll see if the fish can tolerate resting the big pump for longer periods to see if that makes a difference in the cost.

[Naam]

The one that runs 16 hours is a dry centrifugal pump that powers the waterfall (2 hp) to keep the water oxygenated for the fish. I "rest" it for a couple of hours four times a day. Maybe I'll see if the fish can tolerate resting the big pump for longer periods to see if that makes a difference in the cost.

2HP = ~1.5 kWh * 16 hrs = 726 kWh/mth * 4THB = ~3,000 Bath/mth.

[Naam]

The 24 and 16 hour pumps are for a koi pond. One has to run all the time for filtration or the water will go green and murky. The one that cleans the water (24 hour) is a 1/2 hp submersible.

another 1,100 Bath/month.

[hhfarang]

The 24 and 16 hour pumps are for a koi pond. One has to run all the time for filtration or the water will go green and murky. The one that cleans the water (24 hour) is a 1/2 hp submersible.

another 1,100 Bath/month.

Thanks Doc, at least now I know that 1/3 to 1/2 of my energy bill is for water feature pumps. I had no idea that a pump would use as much or more energy that an A/C unit does.

[paul-s]

Land Of Smiles

DOL why didn't I work that one out for my self - thanks

All this talk of pumps, do you know how much juice does a Water Pump for household water use? The house we often use in Pattaya seems to have the water pump on all the time. There is a water storage tank under ground (you need it in Pattaya) The pump is just to get pressure into the pipes.