8bht a unit for electricity. Very costly?

[Grecian]

Found, what looks to be a decent apartment in Bangkok. I set aircon running 10 hours a day at 28 degrees.

Is 8bht a rip off, a very costly rip off given my usage? I cook, charge tablet, but of course it's the aircon that gets you.

[scubascuba3]

It's very common for apartments to charge 8 baht, sometimes even 10, yes it's a rip off but it's what they do, that's why condos are better value the last few years.

 

Condos are about 4 but that's going up to probably around 5

Edited August 25, 2022 by scubascuba3

[MJCM]

8THB per unit is definitely more expensive compared to if you pay directly to PEA / MEA which is (depending on how many units you use) between 4 and 5 THB (incl VAT).

 

The question of course is HOW old is the Airconditioner? And is it an Inverter?

 

In comparison, we changed the Aircon in our Condo to a brand new Inverter type and electricity bills went down over 50% with approx the same usage.

[CharlieH]

Some set lower rent and sting on the Electric I always thought it illegal but many seem to do i

8 baht is around Double !

[Cake Monster]

8 Baht per Unit is not at all costly.

You have to take into consideration the cost of Maintenance, the cost of services run off the Electric Etc

Nobody in their right mind would supply Electric at  cost only to you, as they would then loose Money if any repairs were needed Etc. 

[KannikaP]

4 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

8 Baht per Unit is not at all costly.

You have to take into consideration the cost of Maintenance, the cost of services run off the Electric Etc

Nobody in their right mind would supply Electric at  cost only to you, as they would then loose Money if any repairs were needed Etc. 

Do all owners/renter not pay into a Fund to pay for the Maintenance and costs you mention, which should be the same for each living unit whether a person is there 2 months or 12 months. Going on the electricity usage, the short timer pays much less into that Fund, or someone who has AC on 24-7.

 

[Celsius]

51 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Do all owners/renter not pay into a Fund to pay for the Maintenance and costs you mention, which should be the same for each living unit whether a person is there 2 months or 12 months. Going on the electricity usage, the short timer pays much less into that Fund, or someone who has AC on 24-7.

 

 

Apartment vs condo. 

 

I know of no one who lives in a condo and pays non government rates,

 

Serviced Apartments are a fair game IMO. More like hotels. 

[1FinickyOne]

my wife would not consider paying 8 baht per

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, Cake Monster said:

8 Baht per Unit is not at all costly.

You have to take into consideration the cost of Maintenance, the cost of services run off the Electric Etc

Nobody in their right mind would supply Electric at  cost only to you, as they would then loose Money if any repairs were needed Etc. 

People renting out condos don't add on extra for electricity, usually it's govt rate, anyway if the meter goes wrong I'd expect the electric company to replace it for free

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, CharlieH said:

Some set lower rent and sting on the Electric I always thought it illegal but many seem to do i

8 baht is around Double !

Wait till he gets his water bill.  ????

[BonMot]

Not half as costly as not getting your deposit/s back when you vacate a rented condo.

 

Not all apartments are serviced. Serviced apts are always a rip. Our utilities are high but the most I've ever paid was 8200b rent/utilities one month. That was blasting AC during covid lockdown day/night. 650m from MRT. Central Bangkok.

 

Unless the condo owner allows you to put the power in your name they can ask anything (maybe even inside scam from agent)

[KannikaP]

15 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

People renting out condos don't add on extra for electricity

From my experience they certainly do. Condo or apartment, what's the difference?

[Guderian]

8 Baht is still cheaper than what I'm charged for leccy in my flat back in the UK, I gather it's more like 12 Baht/kWh these days, and that will soon go up by another 30% by all accounts with the price cap. I'm just glad that I'm not there very much, and certainly not this winter!

[crazykopite]

Your getting ripped off I presume the management of the complex charge a set price . I have my own 30 KVA transformer my cost per KW is just over 5 baht and that includes the 7% vat next month electricity charges will be increasing further 

[MrJ2U]

19 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Some set lower rent and sting on the Electric I always thought it illegal but many seem to do i

8 baht is around Double !

I remember paying 10 baht a unit 15 years ago in Pattaya.  I didn't know any better.  My bills were around 5,000 baht a month.  Nice penthouse.  

 

The place was run by a shrewd Chinese lady.

 

My fault I was partying every night.  

 

Nice place though, Great times! 

[Kwasaki]

2 hours ago, crazykopite said:

Your getting ripped off I presume the management of the complex charge a set price . I have my own 30 KVA transformer my cost per KW is just over 5 baht and that includes the 7% vat next month electricity charges will be increasing further 

My farmhouse has 5/15 and pay nearly 2•5 baht per unit + 7% VAT. 

[scubascuba3]

4 hours ago, KannikaP said:

From my experience they certainly do. Condo or apartment, what's the difference?

Condos are often govt rate which is around 4 baht, that's one of the reasons people like condos,  apartments are known to be 8+. If a condo charged more many wouldn't move in

[KannikaP]

4 hours ago, Guderian said:

8 Baht is still cheaper than what I'm charged for leccy in my flat back in the UK

And come on, tell us that diesel is 2 quid a litre in UK, and Bht 35.87 here. And that you can get a 'companion' for the night for Bht 1000 instead of £1000!   

[KannikaP]

42 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Condos are often govt rate which is around 4 baht, that's one of the reasons people like condos,  apartments are known to be 8+. If a condo charged more many wouldn't move in

No, I meant what physically is the difference between condo & apartment please?

[BritManToo]

5 hours ago, KannikaP said:

From my experience they certainly do. Condo or apartment, what's the difference?

Condo is owned by an individual.

Apartment is owned by a company.

[scubascuba3]

6 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

No, I meant what physically is the difference between condo & apartment please?

ah ok, apartment are like a hotel but usually a small building circ 50 rooms, often thai style but 5,000-7,000 baht a month. Water 4 baht a unit similar to condo, Elec 8+ baht. Apartments often include cleaning but some place charge extra, they can also provide linen but cheaper to have your own if long term

Edited August 26, 2022 by scubascuba3

[carlyai]

4 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

I remember paying 10 baht a unit 15 years ago in Pattaya.  I didn't know any better.  My bills were around 5,000 baht a month.  Nice penthouse.  

 

The place was run by a shrewd Chinese lady.

 

My fault I was partying every night.  

 

Nice place though, Great times! 

Got some pics?

[Peterw42]

12 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

No, I meant what physically is the difference between condo & apartment please?

Condos are individually owned, separate title, separate elec meter, an apartment is where one person owns the whole building and has split it up individual apartments, the elec meters are privately owned, the owner gets a single bill from mea/pea, and bills the apartments

[Chongalulu]

5 hours ago, Guderian said:

8 Baht is still cheaper than what I'm charged for leccy in my flat back in the UK, I gather it's more like 12 Baht/kWh these days, and that will soon go up by another 30% by all accounts with the price cap. I'm just glad that I'm not there very much, and certainly not this winter!

Rather different scenario. That is the price of electricity in the U.K. reflecting basic costs /taxes which vary by country. 8 baht is a 100% uplift on what the landlord is paying- a practice which is illegal in U.K. 

[Chongalulu]

Because I’m in a bit of an outlying area with just a few other neighboring houses we have what PEA describe as an ‘emergency' meter (although it been there 4 years) and they charge us 7+ baht unit compared to 3.5 baht at our other house elsewhere. Others also pay similarly (unless they’ve a dodgy connect to someone else’s meter down the road. There is talk of at some stage when further other houses are built (further installation made?) that there’ll be a capital charge for the infrastructure and the rate will go down to normal. Anyone else have this scenario?

[sead]

Some landlords set the price themselves and ask it to be paid directly to them. I found it more cheap to first ask about what rate they charge because it will many times be cheaper that way than being focused on the rent

[sead]

22 hours ago, Celsius said:

 

Apartment vs condo. 

 

I know of no one who lives in a condo and pays non government rates,

 

Serviced Apartments are a fair game IMO. More like hotels. 

I have lived in a couple during the years. So they exist. 1 guy tried to be smart and had normal fee but tried to charge electricity service fee haha. He wanted 10 

[MrJ2U]

4 hours ago, carlyai said:

Got some pics?

I'll ask my wife.  She was my girlfriend at the time.

Back then it was pretty much party all the time.

 

Soi Bukhow was just getting started and Soi LK Metro had just started.

 

Those we're great times! 

[MrJ2U]

4 hours ago, carlyai said:

Got some pics?

[Adumbration]

I have been here a long time.  Me personal rule is never rent a place where the owner wants to on sell water or power.  Only rent a place where you pay your bills directly yourself.

 

I have not read the posts above me in this thread but I am sure someone has mentioned that a few years back they passed legislation to stop this practice.  Like all laws here enforcement is haphazard on non existent.