Is this monthly electric charge reasonable?

[JimmerJJ]

Hi everyone, I'm renting a 1 bedroom apartment near Saphan Kwai and Ari in Bangkok and it is my first month here.  Electric is not included and the contract says the charge is 8 baht per unit.  My first month will be over in a week and the manager estimates that the final elecrtric charge will be about 6000 baht based on what I've used so far. To me it seems high but I've been absent from the country for 2 years because of COVID and just got back. We are very conscious about saving electricity. There are 2 A/C units, one in the bedroom and one in the living room but mostly only one is run at a time.  We shut the lights and everything off if we leave.  The place is dimly lit with not much lighting.  The hotpot stove is electric and we cook normal but just breakfast and dinner and we use laptop and TV. The apartment is about 76 sq meters.  I don't have access to the meter and just have to rely on what they tell me.  Is 6000 baht about normal? Is 8 baht a unit about normal (live in Phyathia/Saphan Kwai area)?  I'm deciding whether to stay here so this is a factor. Thanks all for any info.

[scubascuba3]

8 baht is normal for an apartment but a condo should be govt rate about 4 baht. 6k baht is way too high, caused mainly by AC. Move

[warrima]

They are marking up your bill - MEA rate is around 4 baht a unit. Based on that the real bill is 3k month - which sounds about correct for a couple of ac's, cooker, shower etc. 

[Crossy]

As above the A/C is going to be the killer ???? 

 

What size (BTU) are the units (and do they look "old"), what temperature do you set?

 

[Kwasaki]

14 minutes ago, JimmerJJ said:

Thanks all for any info.

Don't stay there. ????

[KhunLA]

6k actually sounds about right.  Not hard to imagine you using 750 unit X 8 = 6000

 

PEA charge would be ฿4,097.31

[sqwakvfr]

Based upon on my experience living in a rented apartment in LOS I can say turning off the lights does not make a huge impact on the electricity bill.  In my case(a 30 SQM unit) with one old AC unit, how many hours per day I turn the unit on is the biggest factor in how large or small my bill is.  During the hot months(like now) the AC is on about 6 to 8 hours a day.  My per KW rate is 7 Baht per unit and the most I have paid is about 2000 Baht.  I do not cook and have the usual electrical appliances(refrigerator, kettle, TV and charge my laptop, tablet and phone).  I think 6K is too high but if one AC unit is on most of the day then in my opinion your bill should be in the 3000 to 4500 per month range.  

 

Can you check the meter?  For instance in some units the electricity meter is accessible to tenants.  Sometimes I check the meter at the beginning of the month and then at the end.  So far my bills appear to be consistent.  

[JimmerJJ]

29 minutes ago, Crossy said:

As above the A/C is going to be the killer ???? 

 

What size (BTU) are the units (and do they look "old"), what temperature do you set?

 

Hi Crossy, I don't know the BTU's but here are some pics and the one in the bedroom is a Trane.  The outlet in the living room is a big vent like they use with central A/C  but I guess it's not because it has a condensor outside (see vent pic).  And outside on the balcony are 2 A/C condensors (I think they're called that)  Thank you

[JimmerJJ]

34 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

Based upon on my experience living in a rented apartment in LOS I can say turning off the lights does not make a huge impact on the electricity bill.  In my case(a 30 SQM unit) with one old AC unit, how many hours per day I turn the unit on is the biggest factor in how large or small my bill is.  During the hot months(like now) the AC is on about 6 to 8 hours a day.  My per KW rate is 7 Baht per unit and the most I have paid is about 2000 Baht.  I do not cook and have the usual electrical appliances(refrigerator, kettle, TV and charge my laptop, tablet and phone).  I think 6K is too high but if one AC unit is on most of the day then in my opinion your bill should be in the 3000 to 4500 per month range.  

 

Can you check the meter?  For instance in some units the electricity meter is accessible to tenants.  Sometimes I check the meter at the beginning of the month and then at the end.  So far my bills appear to be consistent.  

Hi Sqwakvfr,  guess I could if I asked but the Manager was showing me the current reading on paper but i didn't actually see it for myself.

[Doctor Tom]

I have a 4 bedroom house, with a  pool.  I use aircon every night in one bedroom and aircon for about 10 hours per day in my office area.  We use fans in the day.  My electric bill averages out at 4,500 Baht per month.   Your 6,000 is way too high.   

[JimmerJJ]

43 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

6k actually sounds about right.  Not hard to imagine you using 750 unit X 8 = 6000

 

PEA charge would be ฿4,097.31

Yeah maybe your're right.  Thank you

[JimmerJJ]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

8 baht is normal for an apartment but a condo should be govt rate about 4 baht. 6k baht is way too high, caused mainly by AC. Move

Yes I don't have much stuff so not hrd to move.  I could afford the extra couple thousand but I just don't like being taken advantage of and I think that's what they're doing. It's the principle of the thing.  Thank you

[kwonitoy]

3 hours ago, JimmerJJ said:

Yes I don't have much stuff so not hrd to move.  I could afford the extra couple thousand but I just don't like being taken advantage of and I think that's what they're doing. It's the principle of the thing.  Thank you

They are padding the bill.

My house in Udon Thani, hot season in April.

2 refrigerators, 3 TV's, multiple phone chargers. 2 computers, 25,000BTU air con running downstairs during the day. 3X 18,000 BTU air cons in the bedrooms running all night.

The highest electrical bill I received was a little over 6,000 baht

[Lorry]

Kwonitoy and Dr Tom probably pay PEA/MEA rate. 

You pay 8B, which is almost double. This is legal,  very normal (one poster pays 7B, he is a lucky guy) and probably also reasonable (the reasons why this is reasonable are explained by some posters in another thread about this subject).

 

The consumption is all from the  a/c. And these look terribly old to me. Crossy will know better. 

7 years ago I rented a place with big antique a/c like this. 45 sqm, 6000 B for electricity.

A friend of mine has about 60sqm, old a/c. MEA rate. Easily runs up 4000 or 5000B.

Ask some lo-so Thais,  factory workers or prostitutes, the kind of people who live in 1-room apartments,  about electricity bills. You will hear many horror stories.  Old a/c, 8B: electric is often higher then rent. 

 

You are probably not taken advantage of. If you want it cheaper rent a condo where you pay MEA rate. 

BTW living in a hiso area but complaining about electricity?

[eisfeld]

8 Baht per kWh is overcharging and is illegal. Many try to skim a few thousand bath a month this way. Multiply it by the number of units they have and it's serious money.

 

I pay around 2.5-3k for a 2.5 bedroom house and at least one aircon runs nearly 24/7.

 

Here is the official MEA tariff site: https://www.mea.or.th/en/profile/109/111

 

You'd fall under 1.2, residential over 150kWh so up to 4.4217 THB/unit.

[soi3eddie]

My 2 bed condo is not far from you. I pay government rate and have MEA bill in my name. These days I never pay more than 2,500 Baht a month and when there always have at least one A/C running. Watch a lot of TV and have hot water showers. My 3 x A/Cs are modern inverter types and I keep on 25c. YOU are being ripped off rotten. My advice is to MOVE.  

Edited September 12, 2022 by soi3eddie

[KhunLA]

7 hours ago, Lorry said:

The consumption is all from the  a/c. And these look terribly old to me.

Really old.  

We rented a townhouse, not large, and only had 1 old AC in bedroom.  Older house, no insulation, E&W wall exposure, neighbors not there or using AC, so their houses were hot inside.   Our usage was about 550-700 PEA units.  You're running 2 AC units (1 ancient), electric kitchen, so 750 units seems very realistic.

[bamnutsak]

Owner probably padded the unit count, maybe from the previous reading or lapse thereof.

 

Is there a washing machine? Or combo condensor dryer?

 

8 baht/unit is standard owner-tenant rental mark-up.

 

Owner may also have added extra in advance of the coming increase.

 

I think you should be closer to 500 units, or 4,000 baht.

 

Assuming you like the place and the base rent I might negotiate 8 baht/unit for the remaining term. Many owners will be upping the rate to 9 or 10 baht per unit soon.

 

 

 

[stupidfarang]

Some private condos do charge a higher rate than the standard MEA, its a way of making more money from you. Better to get an appartment that is on the goverment rate, that extra saving makes a differance. Plus on a MEA rate you know the bill will always be around the same amount each month which gives you peace of mind.

[tomazbodner]

At my old place, about 100m2 I was on top floor and basically had no ceiling (it was just that 1-2 cm fake ceiling board, some black sheet and roof tiles). Aircons were underpowered, and when on, compressors were running most of the time, and when turned off, the place heated up to external temperature within 15-20 minutes.

 

Before all these power price hikes, my power bill was based on 5 THB/unit and was regularly 4000 baht up, reaching 7000-7500 in April/May hot period.

If your place is badly insulated, if outside compressors are old, and with 8 baht/unit price, the it would be possible to get to that figure.

 

Actually, if my electricity price was double (I'm in condo so paying EGAT rate, about half of yours), with aircon on most of the time, I'd get to about that amount as well, so I think the larger part of the issue is the 8 THB/unit cost. Then again, electricity price is rising every month and even the EGAT rate might reach that soon...

[FritsSikkink]

14 hours ago, KhunLA said:

6k actually sounds about right.  Not hard to imagine you using 750 unit X 8 = 6000

 

PEA charge would be ฿4,097.31

6k is way to much, i only pay that in April / May and have 4 aircons running. I pay directly to energy company.

[Kwasaki]

14 hours ago, KhunLA said:

6k actually sounds about right.  Not hard to imagine you using 750 unit X 8 = 6000

 

PEA charge would be ฿4,097.31

1500 baht would be right if he moved. 

[JimmerJJ]

10 hours ago, kwonitoy said:

They are padding the bill.

My house in Udon Thani, hot season in April.

2 refrigerators, 3 TV's, multiple phone chargers. 2 computers, 25,000BTU air con running downstairs during the day. 3X 18,000 BTU air cons in the bedrooms running all night.

The highest electrical bill I received was a little over 6,000 baht

Thanks, padding the bill is what I think too.

[KhunLA]

I seem to be the only person that used about the same amount of PEA units as the OP with our 1 AC'd small bedroom townhouse with about same m² of living area, and most, NOT AC'd.

 

Now running 2 new inverter AC's, just a tad more space than OP's condo, and using about the same as OP, and a bit more most days, when both ACs going and the sun is out, most of the day.

 

From the graph, you can see it's partly cloudy day, as not a solid arch, and lots of sun behind the cloud moments.

 

 

[foreverlomsak]

16 hours ago, Crossy said:

As above the A/C is going to be the killer ???? 

 

What size (BTU) are the units (and do they look "old"), what temperature do you set?

 

when were they last cleaned / serviced

[Kwasaki]

30 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I seem to be the only person that used about the same amount of PEA units as the OP with our 1 AC'd small bedroom townhouse with about same m² of living area, and most, NOT AC'd.

 

Now running 2 new inverter AC's, just a tad more space than OP's condo, and using about the same as OP, and a bit more most days, when both ACs going and the sun is out, most of the day.

 

From the graph, you can see it's partly cloudy day, as not a solid arch, and lots of sun behind the cloud moments.

 

 

Inverter A/C's will only benefit you if your accommodation is a well insulated build.

[KhunLA]

2 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Inverter A/C's will only benefit you if your accommodation is a well insulated build.

It is very well built & insulated.  After the first house, learned very quick, and 2nd & present house were built with sun, shading, block, insulation as top priorities. 

[KhunLA]

52 minutes ago, foreverlomsak said:

when were they last cleaned / serviced

You'll be amazed, I was, how much more electric is used if the filters are a bit clogged.  We had to clean ours (filter) every couple months, or the AC would run very inefficiently.  Only takes a minute or 2, using the butt wash.  Replace and back to chilly again.

[Doctor Tom]

12 hours ago, Lorry said:

Kwonitoy and Dr Tom probably pay PEA/MEA rate. 

You pay 8B, which is almost double. This is legal,  very normal (one poster pays 7B, he is a lucky guy) and probably also reasonable (the reasons why this is reasonable are explained by some posters in another thread about this subject).

Explanations are all very well, but which ever way you look at it, the guy is being ripped off, as are very many condo livers.  Once you add security and maintenance charges to the rent, its just one more reason, among many others, that i would never live in a condo again.  

[Liverpool Lou]

12 hours ago, Lorry said:

Kwonitoy and Dr Tom probably pay PEA/MEA rate. 

You pay 8B, which is almost double. This is legal

No, it is not legal to overcharge on the electricity bill, it may be done by many owners but it is not legal.